More than 700,000 visitors each year threaten the fragile high desert ecosystem. The land has a timeless, indestructible look that is misleading. The sandstone domes collapsed and weathered into a maze of vertical rock slabs called "fins." Sections of these slender walls eventually wore through, creating the spectacular rock sculptures that visitors to Arches see today. Much later, groundwater began to dissolve the underlying salt deposits. Most of the formations at Arches are made of soft red sandstone deposited 150 million years ago. Because the salt layer is less dense than the overlying blanket of rock, it rises up through it, forming it into domes and ridges, with valleys in between. Later, sand and boulders carried down by streams from the uplands eventually buried the salt beds beneath thick layers of stone. The seas refilled and evaporated-29 times in all-leaving behind salt beds thousands of feet thick. Some 300 million years ago, inland seas covered the large basin that formed this region. Perched high above the Colorado River, the park is part of southern Utah's extended canyon country, carved and shaped by eons of weathering and erosion. But numbers have no significance beside the grandeur of the landscape-the arches, the giant balanced rocks, spires, pinnacles, and slickrock domes against the enormous sky. I've created a poster for Arches National Park that features the iconic Delicate Arch, which also celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the park!Ĭlick here to see the Arches National Park poster.This park contains more than 2,000 natural arches-the greatest concentration in the country. The problem lies within the soil's crust which is composed of cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, and lichens that grow in the dusty parts of the park. More than 1 million visitors each year threaten the fragile high desert ecosystem. These became the famous arches.Īlthough the park's terrain may appear rugged and durable, it is extremely fragile. Others, with the right degree of hardness and balance, survived despite their missing sections. Wind and water attacked these fins until, in some, the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. Winds later cleaned out the loose particles. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces. Over time, water seeped into the surface cracks, joints, and folds of these layers. These are visible in layer cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast.Įxcept for isolated remnants, the major formations visible in the park today are the salmon-colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches form, and the buff-colored Navajo Sandstone. The park lies above an underground evaporite layer or salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Other geological formations include Balanced Rock, towering over the desert landscape in the middle of the park. Long, thin Landscape Arch stands in Devils Garden to the north. Bordered by the Colorado River in the southeast, it’s known as the site of more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, such as the massive, red-hued Delicate Arch in the east. Discover this red rock wonderland and be amazed by its natural formations, beautiful colors and inspiring sunsets.Įstablished November 12th, 1971, Arches National Park lies north of Moab in Utah. The park features more than 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. Visit Arches National Park and discover an amazing landscape of landforms, textures and contrasting colors unlike any other place in the world.
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