Checkerboard Mesa

The name stems from the cliff s distinctive checkerboard pattern. The horizontal lines are caused by crossbedding, a remnant of ancient sand dunes. The vertical lines formed because of the contraction and expansion of the sandstone.

Zion National Park is located along the edge of a region known as the Colorado Plateau. The rock layers have been uplifted, tilted, and eroded, forming a feature called the Grand Staircase, a series of colorful cliffs stretching between Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. The bottom layer of rock at Bryce Canyon is the top layer at Zion, and the bottom layer at Zion is the top layer at the Grand Canyon.

Source: National Park Service