These pools can be present for several days.Ībove and slightly west of The Wave is what many call "the Second Wave", or "the middle Wave", which has fainter colors but is still of interest to most visitors and photographers. After a rain storm, numerous pools form which can contain hundreds of tadpole shrimps ( Lepidurus apus). Artistic significance Main Wave canyon with snow, rare event during winter Subdued colors at evening twilightĪn ideal time to photograph The Wave 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. Dinosaur tracks and the fossil burrows of desert-dwelling arthropods, such as beetles and other insects, have been found in the Navajo Sandstone within the North Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area. Judging from their physical characteristics, this deformation likely represents the trampling and churning of these sands by dinosaurs after their deposition. These laminae were deformed prior to the lithification of the sand to form sandstone. In some areas The Wave exposes deformed laminae within the Navajo Sandstone. As a result, visitors must walk carefully to avoid breaking the small ridges. The soft sandstone is fragile, especially the ridges and ribbing of The Wave. These laminae have differing resistance to erosion as they have been differentially cemented according to variations in the grain size of the sand composing them. The thin ridges and ribbing seen within The Wave are the result of the differential erosion of rhythmic and cyclic alternating grainflow and windripple laminae within the Navajo Sandstone. The rhythmic and cyclic alternating laminae represent periodic changes in the prevailing winds during the Jurassic period as large sand dunes migrated across a sandy desert. The Wave exposes large-scale sets of cross-bedded eolian sandstone composed of rhythmic and cyclic alternating grainflow and windripple laminae. These erosional steps and risers are oriented relative to the predominant direction of the wind as it is now naturally funneled into and through these troughs. As a result, the troughs are now almost exclusively eroded by wind, as indicated by the orientation of erosional steps and risers cut into the sandstone along their steep walls. After their formation, the drainage basin, which fed rainwater to these troughs, shrank to the point that the runoff became insufficient to contribute to the cutting of these troughs. Initially, infrequent runoff eroded these troughs along joints within the Navajo Sandstone. The two major troughs which comprise this rock 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 Wave consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into Navajo Sandstone of Jurassic age. A map and information about the hike are supplied to those who have obtained permits. Additionally, 48 people and/or 12 groups (whichever comes first) online permits for each date are available four months in advance of a planned trip. Due to the fragile nature of the formation and the large number of people wishing to visit it, a daily lottery system is used to dispense permits for up to 16 people and/or 4 groups (whichever comes first) two days before (visitors must apply within a geofence area encompassing the greater Kanab visitor center, Vermilion Cliffs, and Page areas). The formation is well-known among hikers and photographers for its colourful, undulating forms and the difficult hike required to reach it. The area is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument visitor center in Kanab, Utah. The formation is situated on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of the Colorado Plateau. The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, US, near its northern border with Utah. Thin ridges created by the erosion of differentially cemented, large-scale eolian cross bedding within Navajo sandstone
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