THE WAVE IS A SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATION LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NEAR THE ARIZONA-UTAH BORDER, ON THE SLOPES OF THE COYOTE BUTTES, IN THE PARIA CANYON-VERMILION CLIFFS WILDERNESS, ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU. IT IS FAMOUS AMONG HIKERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR ITS COLORFUL, UNDULATING FORMS, THE RUGGED, TRACKLESS HIKE REQUIRED TO REACH IT.
"THE WAVE" CONSIST OF INTERSECTING U-SHAPED TROUGHS THAT HAVE BEEN ERODED INTO NAVAJO SANDSTONE OF JURASSIC AGE. THE TWO MAJOR TROUGHS, WHICH COMPRISE THIS ROCK OF FORMATION, ARE 62 FEET (19 M) WIDE BY 118 FEET (36 M) LONG AND 7 FEET (2 M) WIDE BY 52 FEET (16 M) LONG.
THE SOFT SANDSTONE OF THE WAVE IS FRAGILE, SO ONE NEEDS WALK CAREFULLY, NOT BREAK THE SMALL RIDGES. A GOOD TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHING. THE WAVES IS THE FEW HOURS AROUND MIDDAY WHEN THERE ARE NO SHADOWS IN THE CENTER, ALTHOUGH EARLY MORNING AND LATE AFTERNOON SHADOWS CAN ALSO MAKE FOR DRAMATIC PHOTOS. AFTER A RECENT RAIN STORM, NUMEROUS POOLS FORM WHICH CAN CONTAIN HINDERED OF TADPOLES FAIRY SHRIMP. THESE POLES CAN BE PRESENT FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
THE WAVE IS NOT EASY TO FIND. IN AN EFFORT TO MAINTAIN THE NATURAL INTEGRITY OF THE REGION. THERE IS NO FORMAL TRAIL TO THE WAVE.
THE WAVE EXPOSES SMALL, EOLIANITE SETS OF CROSS BEDDED SANDSTONE COMPOSED RHYTHMIC AND CYCLIC ALTERNATING GRAIN FLOW AND WIND RIPPLE LAMINAE. THE RHYTHMIC AND CYCLIC LAMINAE REPRESENT PERIODIC CHANGES IN THE PREVAILING WINDS DURING THE JURASSIC AS HUGE SAND DUNES MIGRATED ACROSS A SANDY DESERT.
OFTEN GUIDES CAN SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND LEAD A GROUP TO MANY OF THE FEATURES PROXIMAL TO THE WAVE THAT ARE MORE HIDDEN SUBTLE. MOST CARRY SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
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