Hoodoos-Bryce Canyon

Hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and "broken" lands. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains. While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. In common usage, the difference between Hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a smoother profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward.

 

At Bryce Canyon, hoodoos range in size from that of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building. Formed in sedimentary rock, hoodoo shapes are affected by the erosional patterns of alternating hard and softer rock layers. The name given to the rock layer that forms hoodoos at Bryce Canyon is the Claron Formation. This layer has several rock types including siltstones and mudstones but is predominatly limestone. Thirty to 40 million years ago this rock was "born" in an ancient lake that covered much of Western Utah. Minerals deposited within different rock types cause hoodoos to have different colors throughout their height.

 

Formational Process:

Hoodoos are formed by two weathering processes that continuously work together in eroding the edges of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The primary weathering force at Bryce Canyon is frost wedging. Here we experience over 200 freeze/thaw cycles each year. In the winter, melting snow, in the form of water, seeps into the cracks and freezes at night. When water freezes it expands by almost 10%, bit by bit prying open cracks, making them ever wider in the same way a pothole forms in a paved road.

On clear days its possible to see over a hundred miles for Bryce

Canyon's scenic overlooks. Even though the light was hard we just

couldn't resist taking some photographs that early afternoon of our

arrival.Take note of the light reflecting from Hoodoo to Hoodoo, a

beautiful sight that Bryce is known for. This is an HDR made from 4

exposures.

Leo, this is a great HDR image.  Not overdone, it captures the Hoodoos perfectly.  Well done.

I like it. It has some depth this picture. Nice colors. I don't like bottom part of the image. I think would be better without bottom part from the gravel down.

Thanks Dominick, I do appreciate the kind words.

Thanks for the comment eyegor, as for the fg crop, I guess this is a personal taste thing, I thought that it added more depth.