POTD May 21, 2014: The “Tower of Silence” along Wahweap Creek, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah

The “Tower of Silence” along Wahweap Creek, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2013

Boulders of Cretaceous-age Dakota Sandstone act as protective caps and inhibit erosion of the soft Jurassic-age Entrada Sandstone beneath, allowing hoodoo spires to form. Water cascading over the Entrada Sandstone during rainstorms has carved an intricate network of rills.