Postcard from Canyon de Chelly

I wanted to share this photograph I took in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “deshay”). For those who don’t know, this unusual canyon is located in northeast Arizona and is both a National Monument and part of the Navajo Nation. Tourists are not allowed in the canyon unless they are accompanied by a Navajo guide. Most folks like me just prowl the roads and trails the skirt high above the canyon walls.

This photo, shows the effect of a phenomenon known as “desert varnish”, the black substance you see on the wall. There are several instances of it in Canyon de Chelly and other locations in the Southwest.  It can make for an interesting black and white photo, properly framed, of course.

For inquiring minds, desert varnish, according to an article on Wikipedia, “scientists originally thought that the varnish was made from substances drawn out of the rocks it coats. Microscopic and microchemical observations, however, show that a major part of varnish is clay, which could only arrive by wind. Clay, then, acts as a substrate to catch additional substances that chemically react together when the rock reaches high temperatures in the desert sun. Wetting by dew is also important in the process.”

Also in the photo on the lower left, almost too small to see, are the remains of an Anasazi cliff dwelling. There are several of those in the canyon.

I just like the abstract interplay of the desert varnish on the red rock.  Black and white works well in Canyon de Chelly.  And speaking of black and white,  Ansel Adams did some beautiful work here, including one of his famous shots of another Anasazi ruin called “The White House.” It also features a strong element  of desert varnish.