Posted on 08/10/2008 7:20:14 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, Utah — One of the largest and most photographed arches in Arches National Park has collapsed.
Paul Henderson, the park's chief of interpretation, said Wall Arch collapsed sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.
The arch is along Devils Garden Trail, one of the most popular in the park. For years, the arch has been a favorite stopping point for photographers.
Henderson said the arch was claimed by forces that will eventually destroy others in the park: gravity and erosion.
"They all let go after a while," he said Friday.
He said it's the first collapse of a major arch in the park since nearby Landscape Arch fell in 1991. No one has reported seeing it fall.
Like others in the park, Wall Arch was formed by entrada sandstone that was whittled down over time into its distinctive and photogenic formation.
The arch, first reported and named in 1948, was more than 33 feet tall and 71 feet across. It ranked 12th in size among the park's estimated 2,000 arches.
Rock has continued to fall from the remaining arms of the arch forcing the closure of a portion of the trail.
Officials from the National Park Service and the Utah Geological Survey visited the site Thursday, noting stress fractures in the remaining formation. The trail won't be opened until the debris is cleared away and it's safe for visitors, Henderson said.
God’s Rock AND Roll
I thought in their case it is the Law of GRAVYTY
The administration will stonewall. Granite, they are between a rock and a hard place.
Obviously, the arch’s demise can be traced to it’s arch nemesis.
I’m glad no one has misused the old advertising phrase for Viagra “My arches have fallen and I can’t get up ...”
Add one more peril to the Global Warming list -- fallen arches.
ARCH ARCH ARCH YOLK YOLK YOLK
We must have due respect for the gravitas of the situation ....
LOL. That’s good.
That coupled with the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere leading to weakening of the weaker layers in the stone. All proven by the data.
The Endangered Species Act outlaws “survival of the fittest.” Now we need new Federal legislation that outlaws erosion. I’m sure it will be quickly enacted by an Obama Administration.
A job no doubt for the Arch Avenger!
What you say! Zig for great justice!
So does this mean they’ll have to change the name of the park?
I think it was pretty inevitable.
Sunshine cannot melt rock! This was obviously a controlled demolition!
Mass wasting.
when i saw the title i figured it was landscape arch, that ones way overdue
“...leading to weakening of the weaker layers in the stone. all proven by the data.”
soooooo true. but you must not forget that the weaker, weaker layers have an effect on the weaker, weaker, weaker layers which in turn cause catasrophic failure of the inate stongness of the strong layers on moonlit lights, therefore causing disturbances in the ionic formations that surround the stronger weaker layers on thursday, during a republican domination of parliamentary procedure in both the senate and the house. understand?
According to the article, there are about 2000 such natural arches in this park. These arches were formed by wind and water erosion over eons, we are told.
Now, two of these arches have collapsed over the past 17 years. More probably, but I'll just use the numbers in the article for my exercise here. So, a little math: the rate of collapse is 2/17 years= .1% (.001). Extrapolate out 1700 years and 10% have collapsed. Assuming a steady and not a more likely increasing rate of collapse.
My question is- have any such arches formed in this region in the last 17 years?. Does anyone expect any natural arches (just one would do) to form in the next 1700 years?
AV
The Audacity of Gravity
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