POTD September 12, 2013: Orderville, Kane County, Utah
Orderville, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Lance Weaver
Utah showcases a multitude of canyons as varied as its high mountains and dry deserts. Ranging from V- and U-shaped valleys at the edge of mountains to deep and narrow slot canyons in the south, the shapes result from types of erosion and factors such as precipitation amount and rock type. Erosion can be from powerful rivers and glaciers, forceful flash floods, or winds adding a sculpting touch.
Southern Utah has a lot of bare rock with little vegetation, so rainwater runoff typically ends up flowing into narrow canyons and producing flash floods with great erosive power. The resulting slot canyons are dry most of the time, such as this one near Orderville, Kane County.