Awe-Inspiring Scenes: Arizona's Red Rock Country

Useful materials

The massive formations of sandstone mountains and cliffs found throughout the American West are all arenaceous sedimentary rock made up of quartz and feldspar and can vary in color from gray, yellow, white and the most common color, red. They are a soft rock, easy to work and thus were often used by prehistoric men, and indeed, by modern men today, in building. Sandstone also allows for the percolation of water and makes for valuable aquifers in this region known for its deserts and lack of significant rainfall.

Constant changes

And because the many red sandstone formations are "soft" in these spectacular mountains of the West, there is a constant, natural sculpturing of their appearance, making any trip to this land a visual delight, and especially when that journey brings you to that most special red rock sandstone location in north-central Arizona known as Sedona.