These 13 Bizarre Natural Phenomena in Utah Will Astound You
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 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 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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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