Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park, Utah

Evening light illuminates sandstone pinnacles in this photograph of the Fiery Furnace of Arches National Park in southern Utah. These pinnacles of Entrada Sandstone were formed as tectonic forces deep in the earth forced a vast salt dome underlying this area to bulge upwards, cracking the overlying layers of brittle sandstone to form myriads of long free-standing sandstone fins. The arches within the park are formed when large chunks of sandstone fall out of these fins. Named by Spanish explorers in 1876 and rising to nearly 13,000′ in the distance, the La Sal (salt) Mountains reflect late February light from a recent dusting of snow. Located on the northern side of the Colorado River north of Moab, Arches National Park is home to the highest concentration of natural arches found anywhere in the world. This panoramic photograph was captured with a Fuji GX 617 panorama camera.