Factory’s Side

Story

Factory Butte stands tall above the desert floor not far outside of Hanksville, Utah. Visible from miles away, it is as iconic as it is distinctive. Yet, as Factory’s Side shows, this butte is picturesque for many reasons.

Erosion is a driving force of Factory Butte. Wind and water, especially water, combine over time to drastically alter the landscape, even if it is pebble by pebble. Water seeps into minor cracks, then freezes, making the gap grow imperceptibly.

Year after year, decade after decade, and countless millennia later, the cracks break away, and another boulder is born. Eventually, the butte will erode away, but that will only happen in a geologic timescale. And even then, it won’t be quick.

In the meantime, however, we have fabulous close-ups such as Factory’s Side. Here we can see the ripples and layers of rock. It’s as if time itself freezes, which, from our human-centric view, it actually has. The sandstone and shale provide such an exciting contrast that it is hard to stop looking at it.

Until Factory Butte erodes entirely away, we’ll have plenty to captivate our attention. And with sides like this, we’ll be fascinated for a long time!