painted desert
Striped arid landscape
A painted desert is an arid landscape characterized by colorful bands of rock and sediment—reds, oranges, purples, and grays striped across eroded hills and mesas.
The colors come from mineral deposits in ancient layers of rock.
The badlands took on the look of a painted desert at sunset. (Capitalized Painted Desert is a specific region in northeastern Arizona.)
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
- canyonDeep river-cut gorge
- Arizona48th state admitted
- aridDevoid of water
wide open · colorful · striations · sandstone · red rock · erosion · petrified · fossils · barren · ochre · rust · crimson · lavender · layers · sediment · vista · plateau · Southwest
- Sheepewe, ram, lamb, merino, fleece
- Red Landscapesred rock formations, Red Centre, Monument Valley
- canyon featuresGrand Canyon, gorge, slot canyons, ravine, river canyons
- Desert ParksJoshua Tree, Death Valley, Saguaro, White Sands, Big Bend
painted desertrainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
Amazon rainforest · tropical jungle · jungle · wetlands · Everglades
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