Hoodoos

Hoodoos are tall, thin spires of rock that protrude from arid and semi-arid landscapes. They typically form in sedimentary rock layers and are capped by a harder, more resistant rock that protects the softer underlying layers from erosion. The result is a column-like structure with a distinctive top that can endure longer than the surrounding material.

Formation occurs through differential erosion and freeze-thaw weathering. Water seeping into cracks freezes and expands, widening fractures. Softer rock beneath erodes more quickly than the capstone, which shields the upper portion. Over time, this undercutting produces narrow columns and, in some cases, mushroom-shaped forms. When the protective cap eventually becomes unstable and falls, the remaining column may collapse.

Hoodoos are common in landscapes with alternating hard and soft rock layers and have become prominent in several well-known regions. The Bryce Canyon area in Utah is famed for its dense forests of hoodoos. The Canadian Badlands, especially in Alberta, also feature extensive hoodoo fields. Globally, similar formations occur in places such as Cappadocia in Turkey, where “fairy chimneys” resemble hoodoos in form, though the local terminology differs.

Etymology of the term hoodoo is uncertain, and its use varies by region. Hoodoos are delicate geological features shaped by natural processes over long timescales, and they are typically protected within parks and reserves to preserve their structure and the ecosystems they host.