The West and East Mitten Buttes (also known as the Mittens) are two

butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word me ...

s in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in northeast

Navajo County, Arizona Navajo County is in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717. The county seat is Holbrook. Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Navajo County co ...

. When viewed from the south, the buttes appear to be two giant

mittens A mitten is a type of glove that covers the hand but does not have separate finger openings or sheaths. Generally, mittens still separate the thumb from the other four fingers. They have different colours and designs. Mittens provide greater th ...

with their thumbs facing inwards. The Mittens are about from the

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

–

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

state line and West Mitten Butte is northeast of the park headquarters. The summit of West Mitten Butte is and East Mitten Butte is in elevation. The Mittens form a triangle with

Merrick Butte Merrick Butte is a butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' ...

about to the south and, with Sentinel Mesa, a more extensive plateau, towards the northwest. At the End of March and mid-September for a few days only at sunset the Mitten Shadow, a photographer's dream occurs. At this specific time the West Mitten shadow appears on the East Mitten. The buttes are made of three principal rock layers. The lowest layer is

Organ Rock Shale The Organ Rock Formation or Organ Rock Shale is a formation within the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian Cutler Group and is deposited across southeastern Utah, northwestern New Mexico, and northeastern Arizona. This formation notably outcrops ar ...

, the middle is

de Chelly Sandstone The Yeso Group is a group of geologic formations in New Mexico. It contains fossils characteristic of the Kungurian Age of the early Permian Period. Description The Yeso Group is lithologically complex, ranging from marine shelf carbon ...

, and the top layer is the

Moenkopi Formation The Moenkopi Formation is a geological formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. This unit is considered to be a group in Arizona. Part ...

, capped by

Shinarump Conglomerate The Shinarump Conglomerate is a geologic formation found in the Four Corners region of the United States. It was deposited in the early part of the Late Triassic period. Description The Shinarump Conglomerate is a highly resistant coarse-grained ...

Gallery

File:West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and Merrick Butte.jpg, West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte File:Monument Valley Anticipating Sunrise.jpg, West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte before sunrise File:Sunrise by the Mitten Buttes in the Oljato-Monument Valley.jpg, Sunrise by the Mitten Buttes File:Monument Valley, late afternoon.jpg, The Mittens and

(right foreground) form a triangle in Monument Valley.

References

{{reflist, 22em Buttes of Arizona Landforms of Navajo County, Arizona