Not far from the miniature town of Heiden is a rock formation, which is considered one of greatest creations nature. "Stone wave" - so nicknamed locals a huge rock formation, which has a rather bizarre shape, resembling a sea crest, towering above water surface. Every year, almost 140 thousand tourists from all over the world come to Western Australia to see this amazing creation of nature with their own eyes.
If you manage to visit these parts, then upon closer examination of the Stone Rock, you will see that there is a support next to it, almost completely repeating the shape of this unique natural phenomenon. Scientists specially created it artificially so that rainwater flows down it into a small reservoir. Such structures are often built near similar rocks located in the Whitbelt region.
We can tell everyone who is fond of geology that, according to scientists, the granite formation we are describing was formed hundreds of years ago and is a product of erosion of the surface of mountains called Hayden Rock. The action of natural forces was so significant that they were able to form an amazingly shaped rock, the height of which reaches 110 meters and a length of 15. It is believed that it acquired its final form already 60 million years ago under the influence of chemical weathering, as well as the natural movement of soft rocks of granite. The heterogeneity of the composition of the rock causes the formation amazing phenomenon. So, depending on the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, the color of the surface of the described natural attraction is constantly changing.
Several times a year, this unique nature reserve hosts music Festival, in which famous performers of underground music take part.
There is only one such place on our planet - and it is not surprising, because this is a real miracle! Hugo Martin of the Los Angeles Times once said, "You can't call yourself a landscape photographer if you haven't taken at least one or two photographs of The Wave"
Wave () - a sandstone rock formation located in the United States of America near the border of two states - Arizona and Utah on the slope of Coyote Buttes on the Colorado Plateau. This place is famous among hikers and photographers for its colorful, hilly forms and the rugged off-road “tour” to reach it.
The wave is composed of Navajo Sandstone, which is approximately 190 million years old. Scientists studying the Wave say that the old dunes have been turning into solid rock for centuries, consisting of vertical and horizontal layers. Erosion by wind and rain created the breathtaking landscape that can be seen today.
The soft sandstone of the Waves is fragile, so you need to be careful not to break the little “ mountain ranges”
outside view
good time for photographing the Wave is noon and about an hour before and after, because at this time there are no shadows in the center, although if you want to do something dramatic, unusual photo- morning and late afternoon shadows can help with this :)
Above and slightly to the west of the Wave is the “Second Wave”, which has weaker colors but is no less interesting to most visitors and photographers.
Get into the territory Arizona Wave not so easy, because the owner of the canyon (Bureau of Land Management) limits the number of visits to 20 per day - in order to save the fragile sandy structure of the Wave from crowds of tourists who can turn it into dust in a day ... Ten of them are available in advance in accordance with the online lottery, which is held four months before the appointed time. The remaining ten permits are available (also by lottery) the day before the scheduled tour at Paria Ranger Station on Highway 89 west of Page, Arizona. The drawing of entrance passes is held at 9 am. Spring and autumn are the most popular times of the year to visit, but the popularity of the Wave is so great that the chances of getting a permit for both the first lottery and the second are much less than 50% from March to November. The wave is especially famous among European tourists - in part because it appeared in Faszination Natur - Seven Seasons, a German documentary filmed in the 1990s.
Some more beautiful pictures of this miracle of nature:
Australia has a similar Wave Rock ( wave rock), with only one difference - it consists of granite! The Arizona wave is included in the list of the 10 most amazing landscapes in the USA, about which there is a separate selection on LifeGlob.
Stone waves (The Wave) - an amazing rock formation on the border of the states of Arizona and Utah, on the slopes of Coyote Buttes in the desert rocks of the Vermilion Canyon (Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness), on the Colorado Plateau. Large massifs of red stone resemble waves frozen in time. The stone is actually sand, which, over 190 million years, has compacted and turned into a stone-like monolith and was polished by powerful streams of water during the rainy seasons. The "wave" consists of intersecting U-shaped depressions that were destroyed by erosion in the Navajo Sandstone (Navajo Sandstone) during the Jurassic period.
The two main chutes that make up this rock formation measure 19 meters wide by 36 meters long and 2 meters wide by 16 meters long, respectively. At first, occasional runoff eroded these gutters along the junctions within the Navajo Sandstone. Once formed, the drainage basin that provided rainwater to these gutters shrunk to the point where runoff no longer contributed to cutting these troughs. As a result, gutters are now exclusively deformed by wind. Near the Wave lie popular US parks such as the Grand Canyon Park and the American national park Zion. To get to Volna, you have to walk 5 km, and at the same time, no more than 20 tourists are allowed into the Volna zone per day, because. monoliths are very fragile and require careful handling.
Used photographic materials from the sites: www.wildernessutah.com; images.summitpost.org
Arizona, USA
This canyon is probably one of the most beautiful canyons. The Navajo Indians christened it Tse, which means "The place where the water breaks through the rocks."
Pamukkale, Turkey
These dazzling white, mesmerizing terraces, the so-called travertines, arose on the side of the mountain as a result of the deposition of salts from calcium-rich sources. 
Stone Wave, Arizona
This incredible rock leaves no one indifferent. Formed back in the Jurassic period, this sand dune became incredibly dense and hard under the influence of erosion processes. 
Moeraki boulders, New Zealand
These boulders, located on the coast of New Zealand, were formed under the influence of erosion and winds. 
Mountain chain Bungle Bungle, Australia
These amazing mountains are located in national park Purnululu, Western Australia. They were formed as a result of erosion over 20 million years and surprisingly resemble beehives. 
Fantasy Cave, Bermuda
Marvelous deep cave located in Bermuda. For a long time it was closed to tourists, but in 2001 the authorities reopened it to the world. 
, Australia
Wave Rock is a stunning, naturally formed rock that resembles a ridge huge wave, as if someone had frozen water and turned it into stone. 
Chocolate Hills, Philippines
These hills are a geological formation on the island of Bohol and at the same time one of the main attractions of the Philippines. There are more than 1200 hills of almost regular conical shape, covering an area of about 50 square kilometers. 
Stone forest, Madagascar
This amazing mineral forest is located in the Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve. 
Crystal Cave of the Giants, Mexico
This amazing cave is 300 meters deep and is littered with large selenite crystals. At the bottom of the cave there is a fault, from which red-hot magma periodically pours out. 
Blue Grotto, Italy
The Blue Grotto is located on the north coast of the island of Capri. The grotto has the only entrance from the sea, and you can get here only by boat. 
Moving Stones, Death Valley, USA
This amazing geological phenomenon, discovered on the dry Lake Racetrack Playa in Death Valley in the United States, has left thousands of researchers scratching their heads about the nature of its origin. And the whole point is. that the stones move independently along the clay bottom of the lake, as evidenced by the long tracks left behind them. 
Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania
The Eye of the Sahara, or the Richat Structure as it is commonly known, is a geological formation located in the western Moorish part of the Sahara Desert in Africa. For quite a long time, the Richat structure served as a guide for astronauts in orbit, as it represented a clearly visible object in a vast expanse of unremarkable desert. 
Fingal's Cave, Scotland
This sea cave is located on desert island Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It strikingly resembles the interior of a large temple. In calm weather, the waves of the sea make peculiar melodious sounds in the cave, in storm and during the tides of the sea - a strong noise, audible for several miles in a circle. 
Uyuni Salt Flat, Bolivia
The Uyuni Salt Flats is a dry salt lake in the south of the Altiplano desert plain, Bolivia. It is located at an altitude of about 3650 meters above sea level. Its inner part is covered with a layer of common salt 2-8 meters thick. During the rainy season, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water and turns into the world's largest mirror surface. 
