Hoodoo (geology)

:See Hoodoo for the folk practice of that name.

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Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a more smooth profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains (both in North America). While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. Walt Disney Imagineers notably based the design of the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction around a series of hoodoos, albeit ones constructed out of steel and concrete.

Related Topics:
Rock - Arid - Basin - Badland - Pinnacle - Spire - Totem pole - Colorado Plateau - Badlands - North America - Bryce Canyon National Park - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

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At Bryce Canyon, hoodoos range in size from that of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building. Formed in sedimentary rock, hoodoo shapes are affected by the erosional patterns of alternating hard and softer rock layers. The name given to the rock layer that forms hoodoos at Bryce Canyon is the Claron Formation. This layer has several rock types including siltstones and mudstones but is predominately limestone. 30 to 40 million years ago this rock was "born" in an ancient lake that covered much of western Utah. Minerals deposited within different rock types cause hoodoos to have different colors throughout their height.

Related Topics:
Human - Sedimentary rock - Rock - Siltstone - Mudstone - Limestone - Utah - Mineral

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