Monument Valley, Arizona and Utah, USA

Monument Valley is located on the border between Arizona and Utah in the United States, where it is part of the Colorado Plateau. It is characterized by various rock structures consisting of red siltstones and sandstones of Permian-Triassic age, including the massive sandstone buttes for which the valley is known best. The red color of the rocks in Monument Valley is the result of extensive siltstone weathering and the associated formation of iron oxides, but the overlying sandstone layers are more resistant. Under the scorching heat of the desert sun, a few well-adapted bushes and shrubs prevail.

Information source: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Service

Image: Monument Valley buttes in the Colorado Plateau between Arizona and Utah, USA. Source: Luca Galuzzi, Wikimedia Commons.