Hoodoo Rock
(c) 2000 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc. (fair use policy)
Deserts create many strange-looking landforms from the rocks beneath them, like arches and domes and yardangs and mesas. But a particularly grotesque one is called a hoodoo rock. Dry-climate erosion, without the softening effects of soil or humidity, brings out the details of the sedimentary joints and crossbedding, carving suitable formations into suggestive shapes.
Technically the name hoodoo is reserved for a tall column of rock while hoodoo rock is used for other shapes.
This hoodoo rock from Utah shows crossbedding pretty clearly. The lower part is made of sandstone beds dipping one direction, while the middle part dips in another. And the top part consists of contorted strata that got that way from some sort of underwater landslide while the sand was being laid down, millions of years ago. Take a look at the closeup below.
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