Thor’s Hammer This is a rather lovely example of a hoodoo (also known as a tent rock, earth pyramid
Thor’s Hammer This is a rather lovely example of a hoodoo (also known as a tent rock, earth pyramid or fairy chimney). Thor’s Hammer and other rock formations are found in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The Paunsaugunt Plateau within Bryce Canyon formed around 10-20 million years ago through uplift, which caused fractures to form along the edge of the plateau. With further erosion, the hoodoos began to form. Hoodoos consist of soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded rock, which shields the columns from the elements and thus slows the rate of erosion. The shapes of the hoodoos vary according to the alternating soft and hard rock layers, while minerals within the deposits cause different colours throughout. Hoodoos vary in height, from about the height of a person to taller than a 10 story building; the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon reach as high as 61m tall. Thor’s Hammer is the prominent hoodoo at the left of the photo, with the ‘Three Gossips’ near the centre of the photo. -TEL Read more here: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/national-parks/news-wonders-bryce-canyon-national-park?image=1http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2011/07/thors-hammer-in-bryce-valley-national-park.html Photo credit: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2715/4301290518_d7443ee063_z.jpg -- source link
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