red rock formations
Sandstone canyon pillars
Red rock formations are geological structures of reddish sandstone or other sedite rock, shaped by erosion over millions of years.
The color comes from iron oxide in the stone.
These formations—buttes, arches, hoodoos, slot canyons—define landscapes in the American Southwest: We hiked among the red rock formations of Sedona.
The term appears frequently in tourism and outdoor recreation contexts.
- SedonaArizona resort amid sandstone
- Monument ValleySouthwestern sandstone butte region
- painted desertMulticolored sedimentary wasteland
- sandstoneCemented grain sediment
- canyonDeep river-cut gorge
erosion · wind erosion · hematite · rust · red dirt · weathering · crimson · freeze-thaw cycles · iron oxide · Colorado Plateau · mesa · butte · golden hour · ochre · petroglyphs · indigenous art · sacred land · striated
red rock formationsvolcanic peaks
Summits above magma chambers
active volcanoes · lava flows · volcanic craters · volcanic cones · shield volcanoes
red rock formationssnow-capped peaks
Mountains with icy tops
glacial valleys · tropical rainforest · coastal wetlands · ice caves · forested mountains