select language: DE-AT
DE-BE
DE-CH
DE-DE
EN-AU
EN-CA
EN-GB
EN-IN
EN-NZ
EN-US
ES-AR
ES-ES
ES-MX
FR-BE
FR-CA
FR-FR
IT-IT
JA-JP
NL-BE
NL-NL
PT-BR
ZH-CN
DE-AT
DE-BE
DE-CH
DE-DE
ES-ES
FR-BE
FR-FR
IT-IT
NL-BE
NL-NL
Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park, USA
Of tectonics and Texas
Santa Elena Canyon's walls put the 'Big' in Big Bend National Park, as they stretch more than 450 metres into the blue skies belonging to the US state of Texas. This desert landscape feels as old as time, but it's relatively young geologically – most formations here result from rough-and-tumble tectonics within the past 100 million years. The resulting tossed and turned bedrock was later eroded by the (even younger) Rio Grande, forming deep gorges with sediment layers that lie at various odd angles. The canted cliffs in this shot are just a hint at the park's extreme elevation differences – more than 1,800 metres separate Big Bend's highest and lowest points.
Of tectonics and Texas
Santa Elena Canyon's walls put the 'Big' in Big Bend National Park, as they stretch more than 450 metres into the blue skies belonging to the US state of Texas. This desert landscape feels as old as time, but it's relatively young geologically – most formations here result from rough-and-tumble tectonics within the past 100 million years. The resulting tossed and turned bedrock was later eroded by the (even younger) Rio Grande, forming deep gorges with sediment layers that lie at various odd angles. The canted cliffs in this shot are just a hint at the park's extreme elevation differences – more than 1,800 metres separate Big Bend's highest and lowest points.
© Jeff Foott / Photodisc / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:52 :