The Wave
August 12, 2013
Photographer: Ronald Smith
Summary Author: Ronald Smith 
The photos above showing The Wave were taken at Coyote Buttes North, Arizona. The Wave stands about 5,200 ft (1,600 m) above sea level in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Here, about 190 million years ago in the Lower Jurassic, wind-blown sand from a vast ancient desert collected and cemented both vertically and horizontally into a formation now called the Navajo Sandstone. Today’s rolling surface was produced by rain and wind erosion. The Wave remained relatively unknown until the 1990s when it was featured in a German nature documentary. Because of the fragile nature of this dramatic and unusual site visits are quite restricted. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management only permits about 25 hikers to visit The Wave each day. Needless to say, I felt very lucky to be chosen to see this remarkable erosional landform. Photo taken in June 2013.
Photo Details: Nikon D5100 camera; automatic, landscape setting; 18-55 zoom lens.
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