Some of Utah’s beauty was created over the course of millions of years ago by erosion. Wind, water, ice and time formed some of the most beautiful and bizarre natural phenomena found on the planet. Other bizarre phenomena in Utah was caused by massive earthquakes, the drying up of an enormous lake and the water and minerals found in our most famous cave. Read on to see a few examples of Utah’s bizarre, beautiful, astounding natural phenomena.
- Buckskin Gulch
Ryan Grimm/flickr Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world. They’re formed when a crack forms in the rock, and rushing water wears away the sandstone. Buckskin Gulch, at 13 miles long, is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwest.
- Fantasy Canyon
arbyreed/flickr Located about 27 miles south of Vernal, Fantasy Canyon’s formations are unique. The area once sat on the eastern shores of ancient Lake Uinta, which gathered sediment of sandstone and shale along its banks. After the lake evaporated, wind and water eroded the shale, leaving the hardier sandstone. Eventually, erosion will weather away the bizarre and beautiful formations at Fantasy Canyon.
- Delicate Arch
Keith/flickr Natural Arches are formed by wind erosion. Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural arches. Delicate Arch is the most iconic, but they’re all an astonishing testament to the power of wind + time.
- The Wave
Tim/flickr The wave is technically right inside the Arizona border, but you have to reach it from Utah. The (very limited) hiking permits are managed by the Bureau of Land Management office in Kanab, so we claim it as our own. The ribbons of rock were formed by ancient sand dunes blowing across the desert, then hardening. Water played its part, too.
- Owachomo Bridge
Jared Hargrave/flickr The Natural Arch and Bridge Society notes the main difference between natural arches and natural bridges: water. Natural bridges (which are a type of natural arch), such as Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument were formed by erosion caused by water. Owachomo continues to evolve - in June, 1992, a flash flood caused 4,000 tons to fall off the bridge, changing its appearance.
- Formations at Timpanogos Cave
Ellen MacDonald/flickr The stalactites, stalagmites, helicities and more found inside Timpanogos Cave are formed by water and mineral deposits. Pictured is The Great Heart of Timpanogos.
- Church Rock
J Brew/flickr Church Rock stands all alone on the desert landscape along U.S. Route 191. It’s all that’s left of a bedrock that was otherwise completely eroded.
- The Goblins of Goblin Valley
jphilipg/flickr The squatty little formations at Goblin Valley are made of stronger sandstone that the rest of the rock and sand that eroded away over time from water and wind.
- Balanced Rock
Jim Lemire Balanced Rock was formed by a combination of wind, water and ice wedging. The upper part (the balanced rock), is made of rock that’s more resistant to erosion - the lower portion, is more easily eroded, leaving the larger “rock” at the top.
- The Great Salt Lake
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr Our famous, salty lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western hemisphere. Its surface covers 1,700 square miles, but it’s also very shallow and is between 5 and 27 percent salt (for comparison, the oceans average 3 percent).
- Hoodoos, Bryce Canyon
Bryan Pocius/flickr The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon were created by frost weathering due to the approx. 200 freeze/thaw cycles each year. Water seeps into cracks in the rock, then freezes, expanding as much as 10 percent and widening the crack. Acidic rainfall also contributes to the erosion. Repeat those cycles over 60 million years, and you get hoodoos.
- Devil’s Slide
Ken Lund/flickr It sure looks like a slippery slide for a giant on the side of the mountain, but these 40-foot-tall twin rock formations in Weber Canyon are just that - innocent rock formations. The rock in between the two sides of the slide eroded.
- Bonneville Salt Flats
Steven Harris/flickr The Bonneville Salt Flats are leftovers of the ancient lake Bonneville. The flats consist of densely-packed salt and are now famous for land-racing speed records.
Do you have photos of some of Utah’s other “bizarre” natural phenomena? Share them with us!
Ryan Grimm/flickr
Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world. They’re formed when a crack forms in the rock, and rushing water wears away the sandstone. Buckskin Gulch, at 13 miles long, is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwest.
arbyreed/flickr
Located about 27 miles south of Vernal, Fantasy Canyon’s formations are unique. The area once sat on the eastern shores of ancient Lake Uinta, which gathered sediment of sandstone and shale along its banks. After the lake evaporated, wind and water eroded the shale, leaving the hardier sandstone. Eventually, erosion will weather away the bizarre and beautiful formations at Fantasy Canyon.
Keith/flickr
Natural Arches are formed by wind erosion. Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural arches. Delicate Arch is the most iconic, but they’re all an astonishing testament to the power of wind + time.
Tim/flickr
The wave is technically right inside the Arizona border, but you have to reach it from Utah. The (very limited) hiking permits are managed by the Bureau of Land Management office in Kanab, so we claim it as our own. The ribbons of rock were formed by ancient sand dunes blowing across the desert, then hardening. Water played its part, too.
Jared Hargrave/flickr
The Natural Arch and Bridge Society notes the main difference between natural arches and natural bridges: water. Natural bridges (which are a type of natural arch), such as Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument were formed by erosion caused by water. Owachomo continues to evolve - in June, 1992, a flash flood caused 4,000 tons to fall off the bridge, changing its appearance.
Ellen MacDonald/flickr
The stalactites, stalagmites, helicities and more found inside Timpanogos Cave are formed by water and mineral deposits. Pictured is The Great Heart of Timpanogos.
J Brew/flickr
Church Rock stands all alone on the desert landscape along U.S. Route 191. It’s all that’s left of a bedrock that was otherwise completely eroded.
jphilipg/flickr
The squatty little formations at Goblin Valley are made of stronger sandstone that the rest of the rock and sand that eroded away over time from water and wind.
Jim Lemire
Balanced Rock was formed by a combination of wind, water and ice wedging. The upper part (the balanced rock), is made of rock that’s more resistant to erosion - the lower portion, is more easily eroded, leaving the larger “rock” at the top.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
Our famous, salty lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western hemisphere. Its surface covers 1,700 square miles, but it’s also very shallow and is between 5 and 27 percent salt (for comparison, the oceans average 3 percent).
Bryan Pocius/flickr
The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon were created by frost weathering due to the approx. 200 freeze/thaw cycles each year. Water seeps into cracks in the rock, then freezes, expanding as much as 10 percent and widening the crack. Acidic rainfall also contributes to the erosion. Repeat those cycles over 60 million years, and you get hoodoos.
Ken Lund/flickr
It sure looks like a slippery slide for a giant on the side of the mountain, but these 40-foot-tall twin rock formations in Weber Canyon are just that - innocent rock formations. The rock in between the two sides of the slide eroded.
Steven Harris/flickr
The Bonneville Salt Flats are leftovers of the ancient lake Bonneville. The flats consist of densely-packed salt and are now famous for land-racing speed records.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
