Colorado Plateau
Grand Canyon's geological province
The Colorado Plateau is a high desert region spanning roughly 130,000 square miles across Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Distinguished by dramatic canyons, mesas, and buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries, it contains the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Monument Valley.
The region's exposed rock layers span two billion years of geologic history.
Pre-Columbian Four Corners people
- cliff dwellingsHomes built into rockfaces
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- kivasPueblo ceremonial rooms
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
Mesa Verde · pictographs · granaries · middens · ruins · excavation · ceramics · lithics
Flat-topped steep-sided elevation
- butteIsolated flat-topped hill
- pinnacleUtmost summit or spire
- spireTapering architectural peak
- hoodooFolk magic tradition
natural bridge · arch · monument · tower · balanced rock · fins · needles · escarpment
Narrow erosion-carved ravine
- gorgeDeep, narrow valley
- chasmDeep, steep-sided gap
- ravineDeep, narrow valley
- alcoveRecessed area in room
cliff · rim · overlook · rimrock · narrows · tributary · meander · incision
Cemented grain sediment
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- erosionGradual wearing away
- upliftRaise emotionally or physically
limestone · shale · mudstone · fossils · Triassic · Jurassic · Permian · petrified wood
Southwestern indigenous people
- HopiPueblo people of Arizona
- ZuniNative southwestern pueblo-dwellers
- UteGreat Basin Indigenous group
- PaiuteGreat Basin indigenous people
reservation · sacred sites · traditional lands · hogans · sheep herding · turquoise · silverwork · weaving
Devoid of water
- high desertElevated arid region
- semiaridSomewhat dry climate
- cold wintersFreezing time of year
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
flash floods · drought · temperature extremes · snowpack · thunderstorms · dry air · clear skies · frost
Aromatic arid-land shrub
- cottonwoodFluffy-seeded deciduous tree
- tamariskDrought-resistant flowering shrub
- blackbrushSpiny desert shrub
- rabbitbrushWestern drought-tolerant shrub
yucca · prickly pear · riparian · hanging gardens · endemic species · mule deer · condor · rattlesnake
Ancestral Puebloans
Pre-Columbian Four Corners people
- cliff dwellingsHomes built into rockfaces
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- kivasPueblo ceremonial rooms
potsherds · Mesa Verde · pictographs · granaries · middens · ruins · excavation · ceramics · lithics · rock art
mesa
Flat-topped steep-sided elevation
hoodoo · natural bridge · arch · monument · tower · balanced rock · fins · needles · escarpment · tableland
slot canyon
Narrow erosion-carved ravine
alcove · cliff · rim · overlook · rimrock · narrows · tributary · meander · incision · precipice
sandstone
Cemented grain sediment
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- erosionGradual wearing away
uplift · limestone · shale · mudstone · fossils · Triassic · Jurassic · Permian · petrified wood · cross-bedding
Navajo
Southwestern indigenous people
Paiute · reservation · sacred sites · traditional lands · hogans · sheep herding · turquoise · silverwork · weaving · ceremonial
arid
Devoid of water
- high desertElevated arid region
- semiaridSomewhat dry climate
- cold wintersFreezing time of year
monsoon · flash floods · drought · temperature extremes · snowpack · thunderstorms · dry air · clear skies · frost · wind erosion
sagebrush
Aromatic arid-land shrub
- cottonwoodFluffy-seeded deciduous tree
- tamariskDrought-resistant flowering shrub
- blackbrushSpiny desert shrub
rabbitbrush · yucca · prickly pear · riparian · hanging gardens · endemic species · mule deer · condor · rattlesnake
- Dry PlateausAltiplano, Great Basin
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- American RegionsMidwest, Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Pacific Northwest
- ArizonaPhoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale
- Mountain WestUtah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada
- US LandformsAppalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Basin, Cascade Range
Colorado PlateauGreat Basin
Closed hydrological region, American West
coastal plain · river delta · Death Valley · Great Plains · Piedmont
Colorado PlateauCascade Range
Pacific Northwest volcanic mountains
Mississippi Delta · Sierra Nevada · Florida Everglades · Rocky Mountains · Great Lakes region