7Monument Valley, U.S.A.

As the set for a seemingly endless supply of western films, Monument Valley is the visual definition of the wild, wild west. But just how was this unique landscape formed?

In ancient times, this region was covered in layer upon layer of sandstone and shale that was deposited by an ancient sea that blanketed much of the western U.S.A. These deposits were buried under the sea for millennia until they were uplifted and folded along with the rest of the Colorado Plateau. This left the landscape susceptible to erosion by wind and rain. As the sandstone layers were stronger than the shale layers, the shale eroded faster. As a result, the vertically jointed sandstone slabs were left to form the many buttes and pinnacles that tourists fly across the world to gaze at in wonder today.

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