Painted Desert, USA

A desert, which is able to impress with its unique appearance, can be found in the United States. The Painted Desert is located in Arizona. It owes its name to a special type of soil that forms an unusual landscape in this area. Over millions of years, the erosion has been actively proceeding in soil. That’s a reason why the ground acquired a variety of shades, from pale yellow to deep red.

During the tour in the desert, you can see incredibly picturesque striped hills that resemble a layered cake in a cut. There are multi-colored valleys with the typical desert vegetation. The Painted Desert features quite impressive scale. It covers an area of ​​19.4 thousand square km. The lieutenant Joseph Ives is considered to be the discoverer of the place; he gave it the name used today. Once he flew over the area and noticed unusual striped hills. Several years later, the Painted Desert was declared a natural monument of national importance.

Travellers who decide to visit one of the most amazing deserts of the planet will be able to observe an unusual phenomenon. Sometimes, the desert air is heated to such a degree, that mist of pink or purple is generated from the dust. It’s a great experience to watch this haze. Researchers found out that millions of years ago, a significant part of the current desert was covered with dense forests. Today, in the southern desert region, you can see the petrified trees, which are remnants of a once vast and mighty pine forest. Next - Taklimakan Desert