Stone edge (Jordan, Wadi Rum)

This rock formation in the Wadi Rum desert , often nicknamed “the mushroom,” is a spectacular example of wind erosion . The wind, laden with sand, acts here as a natural abrasive: it digs away at the base, where the rock is softest, leaving the upper, more resistant, part hanging. This process, called “lithological differentiation,” can last several tens of thousands of years.

Wadi Rum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also an open-air geological laboratory: it contains Nabataean inscriptions , natural arches, and Cambrian sandstone deposits, more than 500 million years old. The Bedouins sometimes call it the "Valley of the Moon" because of its relief sculpted by extremes.