Painted Desert is the name for a broad area of
badlandsA badlands is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
located in
Northern ArizonaNorthern Arizona is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it...
in the United States. The
desertA desert is a landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than per year, or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. In the Köppen climate classification system,...
stretches from the
Grand Canyon National ParkGrand Canyon National Park is one of the United States' oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world...
into the
Petrified Forest National ParkPetrified Forest National Park is along Interstate 40 between Holbrook and Navajo, in the United States. It features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, mostly of the species Araucarioxylon arizonicum....
and runs roughly astride and just north of the
Little ColoradoThe Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 315 mi long, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The river provides the principal drainage for the Painted Desert....
and the Puerco Rivers. Much of the area within the Petrified Forest National Park is protected as the
Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area. Another, smaller
protected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental value, or environmental plus cultural values. Examples include parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries...
is the Little Painted Desert County Park found just north of
WinslowWinslow is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 9,931.It was named for either Edward F. Winslow, president of St...
.
Painted Desert is the name for a broad area of
badlandsA badlands is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
located in
Northern ArizonaNorthern Arizona is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it...
in the United States. The
desertA desert is a landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than per year, or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. In the Köppen climate classification system,...
stretches from the
Grand Canyon National ParkGrand Canyon National Park is one of the United States' oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world...
into the
Petrified Forest National ParkPetrified Forest National Park is along Interstate 40 between Holbrook and Navajo, in the United States. It features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, mostly of the species Araucarioxylon arizonicum....
and runs roughly astride and just north of the
Little ColoradoThe Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 315 mi long, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The river provides the principal drainage for the Painted Desert....
and the Puerco Rivers. Much of the area within the Petrified Forest National Park is protected as the
Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area. Another, smaller
protected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental value, or environmental plus cultural values. Examples include parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries...
is the Little Painted Desert County Park found just north of
WinslowWinslow is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 9,931.It was named for either Edward F. Winslow, president of St...
. Much of the Painted Desert region is located within the
Navajo NationThe Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland covering about 26,000 square miles , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
. The
NavajoThe Navajo or Diné of the Southwestern United States are the second largest Native American tribe of Northern America. In the 2000 U.S. census, 298,197 people claimed to be fully or partly of Navajo ancestry. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo...
and the
HopiThe Hopi are American Indians people who primarily live on the 12,635 km² Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi Reservation is entirely surrounded by the much larger Navajo Reservation. The two nations used to share the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area...
people have lived in the region for at least five hundred and one thousand years, respectively. The popular name for the desert comes from the
Colonial SpanishThe Spanish colonization of the Americas was the settlement and political rule over much of the western hemisphere which was initiated by the Spanish conquistadors and fought mostly by their native allies...
who are said to have named it
El Desierto Pintado due to its brightly colored landscape.
Geology
The desert is composed of stratified layers of mineral and decayed organic matter . The erosion of these layers by natural wind and rain patterns has resulted in the formation of many knobs, which are visually distinct due to the bands of grays, reds, oranges and yellows. The area is noted to be especially beautiful at sunset and sunrise when the land appears to glow in
hueHue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as “the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,”...
s of violet, blue, red and gold. Other key features include the many
mesaA mesa is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape. It is a characteristic landform of arid environments, particularly the southwestern United States...
s and
butteA butte is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; smaller than mesas, plateaus, and tables. In some regions the word is simply used for any hill...
s that rise sharply from the desert floor. Sparse desert
floraIn botany, flora has two meanings. The first meaning, flora of an area or of time period, refers to all plant life occurring in an area or time period, especially the naturally occurring or indigenous plant life...
and
faunaFauna is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g...
can also be found, especially in wet years.
In the southern portions of the desert the remains of a Triassic Era coniferous forest have fossilized over millions of years. Wind, water and soil
erosionErosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
continue to change the face of the landscape by shifting
sedimentSediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow, and which eventually is deposited.Sediments are most often transported by water transported by wind and glaciers...
and exposing layers of the
Chinle FormationThe Chinle is a geologic formation that is spread across the U.S. states of northern Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western New Mexico, and western Colorado. The Chinle is controversially considered to be synonymous to the Dockum Group in eastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, southwestern Kansas, the...
. An assortment of fossilized prehistoric plants and animals are found in the region, as well as dinosaur tracks and the
evidenceEvidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either a) presumed to be true, or b) were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's...
of early human habitation.
Accessibility
Much of the region is accessible only by foot or unpaved road though major highways and paved roads cut across the area. Depending on use, location and duration of stay, travelers might be required to purchase
permitPermit may refer to:*Permit *Various legal licenses:*License*Work permit*Learner's permit*Permit to travel*Construction permit*Home Return Permit*One-way Permit*Permit is the common name for the Trachinotus falcatus, a type of Pompano....
s from the appropriate authorities. The towns of
CameronCameron is a census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. Most of the town's economy is tourist food and craft stalls, restaurants, and other services for north-south traffic from Flagstaff and Page...
and
Tuba CityTuba City is a census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2000 census. It is the Navajo Indian Reservation's largest community, slightly larger than Shiprock, New Mexico. The Hopi town of Moenkopi lies directly to its southeast.The name of...
, both within the Navajo Nation, are two major settlements. One interesting side note about Tuba City and Cameron is that parking lots and yards are often covered by bright red dust that is blown in from the surrounding lands by
dust stormA dust storm or sandstorm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front blows loose sand and dust from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil erosion from one place and deposition in another...
s. Currently
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and
petroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
mining operations are active in the region and red
clayClay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried and/or fired...
is retrieved from the desert by locals. This clay is then used to produce handmade
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
to be sold at roadside stands and souvenir shops.
Sources and external links