Land of Vulcan 2

A Kaleidoscope of Colors and Shapes

The San Rafael Swell offers a visitor an abundance of geologic marvels. It’s located in Emery County in central Utah. Part of the Colorado Plateau, it extends for approximately 75 by 40 miles.

You can thank an orogeny for this formation.  That’s the process where a section of the earth's crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression to form a mountain range.  Created 40 to 70 million years ago, the Swell is home to variegated desert colors and shapes.

Layer upon layer of colorful ancient blue-gray shale, greenish limestone, reddish Wingate sandstone, and golden-buff Dakota and Navajo sandstones cover the landscape. And erosion has created tall fins, domes, cliffs, and deep canyons.

The Shot

In 2023, friend and fellow photographer Jon Christofersen and I set out for the Southern part of the Swell near Goblin Valley. We made our way for a few miles along the Ding and Dang Canyon trail and then ascended about one hundred feet to a ridge.  

From there, we had the necessary line of sight for control of our drones. We flew to a promising location about a mile away. After arriving, I felt like a kid marveling at a kaleidoscope for the first time.  

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus

https://cderus.zenfolio.com/