Monument Valley 纪念碑谷

纪念碑谷（英语：Monument Valley，纳瓦荷语：Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii，岩石峡谷之意）是在科罗拉多高原一个由砂岩形成的巨型孤峰群区域，其中最大的孤峰高于谷底约300米。该区域位于亚利桑那州北方州界和犹他州南方州界（座标大约36°59′N 110°6′W），四角落的附近。纪念碑谷在纳瓦霍族保留地之内，可经由美国163号公路到达。

纪念碑谷是科罗拉多高原的一部分，高出海平面1500m到1800米。谷底大多是含粉砂岩的卡特勒层（Cutler Formation）地层或从河流切穿峡谷形成的砂沉积。纪念碑谷的鲜艳红色来自铁氧化物从风化的砂岩中暴露。谷中较暗的蓝灰色岩石则是来自氧化锰。

谷中的孤峰清楚分成多个地层，最主要的地层有三个。最底下的地层是称为 Organ Rock 的页岩，中间则是谢伊层砂岩（de Chelly），最顶层则是称为孟科匹（Moenkopi）层的页岩，更上方被称为 Shinarump 的粉砂岩覆盖。纪念碑谷内有许多巨型岩石结构，其中包含了“太阳之眼”（Eye of the Sun）。

1948年到1967年之间，纪念碑谷南方边界的Monument Upwarp有铀矿的开采，主要是在Shinarump粉砂岩分布区域；部分沉积岩的铀矿同时也有钒和铜矿。

纪念碑谷在1930年代开始出现于许多媒体中。最有名的可能是在美国导演约翰·福特的多部西部片中，其中有《驿马车》、《搜索者》。导演罗伯特·泽米吉斯的《阿甘正传》也出现纪念碑谷。近年则有英国电视剧《神秘博士》的其中两集不可能的宇航员和月球之日。

Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, meaning valley of the rocks) is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. It is located on the Arizona–Utah border (around 36°59′N 110°6′WCoordinates: 36°59′N 110°6′W), near the Four Corners area. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation and is accessible from U.S. Highway 163.

Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. Director John Ford used the location for a number of his best-known films, and thus, in the words of critic Keith Phipps, "its five square miles [13 square kilometers] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West."

The area is part of the Colorado Plateau. The elevation of the valley floor ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 m) above sea level. The floor is largely siltstone of the Cutler Group, or sand derived from it, deposited by the meandering rivers that carved the valley. The valley's vivid red color comes from iron oxide exposed in the weathered siltstone. The darker, blue-gray rocks in the valley get their color from manganese oxide.

The buttes are clearly stratified, with three principal layers. The lowest layer is the Organ Rock Shale, the middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi Formation capped by Shinarump Conglomerate. The valley includes large stone structures including the famed "Eye of the Sun".

Between 1945 and 1967, the southern extent of the Monument Upwarp was mined for uranium, which occurs in scattered areas of the Shinarump Conglomerate; vanadium and copper are associated with uranium in some deposits.

Monument Valley experiences a desert climate with cold winters and hot summers. While the summers may be hot, the heat is tempered by region's aridity and high altitude. Although the valley experiences an average of 54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, summer highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Even in the winter, temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. Monument Valley receives an occasional light snowfall in the winter; however, it usually melts within a day or two.