Slot canyon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A slot canyon is a narrow canyon, formed by the wear of water rushing through sandstone. Some slot canyons measure only a foot to three feet (1 m) across at the top but drop more than one hundred feet (30 m) to the floor of the canyon.

In most slot canyons, the water and wind of windstorms and floods over millions of years have cut the sandstone in such a way that its striations can appear almost incandescent. The altitude of the floor of the canyon varies depending on how much sand and debris has been deposited by the most recent floods. Some slot canyons can only be visited with a tour guide because of the danger of flash floods.

The U.S. state of Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world. Antelope Canyon, one of the most famous of the slot canyons, is located in Arizona near Page, on the Navajo reservation. There are also numerous slot canyons in the valley between US 89 and the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona, and can be seen as one descends into the valley on US 89, but these are also on the Navajo reservation and are closed to the public. Several canyons accessible to the public are within Zion National Park.