arching the depths

The deepest canyon of Uras, Kesali (Keh/saah/lih), is a deep scar in the equatorial desert of Kestanda (Keh/stahn/daah); mostly carved early in the history of Uras when the rocky wall of a large glacial lake fractured and broke. All the water in the lake and it's superior systems emptied into the lower lands in around five Earth days. The speed and violence of such water carved the beginnings of the great canyon which has been continuously worn away by the feeding rivers over millions of years. The swathe of rock and sand that was washed downstream formed an island as the river's opening.

Most extraordinary is the role that this flow of water played in the shaping of the desert. When complex animal life developed the river system had become a well established source of plant life; thick woody fungus-like organisms litter the ground and chemotrophic mosses carpet the canyon floor. Mixtures of subterranean and shade-loving terranean plants climb the lower walls of the canyon. This fertile and rich environment out of the heat of the sun allowed for the rise of complex varuk (arkturium.deviantart.com/art/0… society to form. They lived in caves part way up the canyon wall, allowing them to hunt the sands for larger fare and have access to water and vegetation below.
Archaeologists have found remnants of the oldest water mill and tiered garden plan in these canyons.
The Kestanda region is still populated today and Kesali plays an important part in the day-to-day lives of the varuk, although the people these days tend to live in communal linked biodomes as opposed to caves.

I started to art and then this happened.

I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out, and I'd really like to hear critique, because I have a long way to go and a little improvement here really helps me get in gear to improve more.
4 hours

[EDIT]: changed some colour levels up. Much happier now.