This past weekend I saw the trailer for the upcoming Disney film John Carter. I quickly recognized that one of the clips featured the distinctive form of Shiprock. Being that the film is supposed to take place on another planet, Shiprock was probably a good choice for an otherworldly representation.
For those that are unfamiliar, Shiprock is a large rock formation that sits on the Navajo reservation in the northwest corner of New Mexico. Rising nearly 1,583 feet from the relatively flat surrounding desert floor the jagged peak makes for an impressive sight that can be seen from over 60 miles away. Shiprock is what is known as a volcanic diatreme, which is the remnants from the throat of an ancient volcano.
Shiprock has considerable spiritual value to the Navajo. It is a protected site and it has been illegal to climb the peak since 1970.
During my 2010 trip through the Southwest I took a considerable detour from my planned route to visit Shiprock. It was well worth the effort to be able to see and photograph this amazing site. One of my favorite shots from the trip was the black and white infrared shot at the top of the page.
An interesting point from the the John Carter trailer is that they have actually added to the rock formation. The shot used is an aerial flying up the fault line that leads to Shiprock; but you will notice in the photo below that there is a natural bridge to the left side of the peak. In reality, this arch does not exist at this location. It almost looks like they composited Landscape Arch from Arches National Park onto the formation.
I am not really familiar with the John Carter story but I am interested to see what other locations they have used in the film. Interestingly there is one other monolith that they show a shot of that resembles the photo below that I took near the Giles ghost town in Utah.
