Dean M. Chriss
Photography
Mitten Shadows at Sunset, Monument Valley, Arizona, Landscape Photograph by Dean M. Chriss

Mitten Shadows at Sunset, Monument Valley, Arizona

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Monument Valley's East and West Mitten Buttes reflect the warm light of a desert sunset. The summit of West Mitten Butte is  6176 feet (1882 m) above sea level and it rises 856 feet (261 m) above the valley floor. East Mitten Butte is 170 feet (52 m) higher. The buttes are made of three main rock layers. The lowest is Organ Rock Shale, the middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi Formation, capped by Shinarump Conglomerate. Twice each year the sun sets in a position that projects the shadow of West Mitten Butte onto East Mitten Butte.