POTD October 2, 2013: Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen

Juniper-covered siltstone ledges of the Torrey Member of the Triassic-age Moenkopi Formation (foreground) rise to a seemingly impenetrable wall of Triassic- to Jurassic- age Wingate (red vertical cliffs in middle of photo) and Navajo (white bluffs at top of cliff) Sandstones in Capitol Reef National Park.  Early explorers referred to any long barrier to travel as a “reef,” while the dome-shaped bluffs of Navajo Sandstone reminded them of the United States Capitol building—thus the name “Capitol Reef.”