How I became the wonderful sight I stand to be today

         I am located on top of a underground salt bed, therefore the process of who I am today was made simpler with the help of Earths natural processes. Once upon a time about 300 million years ago a sea flowed over my area and eventually evaporated.

 

However, the salt bed underneath who I am today was left with residue from floods and winds. Eventually surface erosion stripped away rock layers, and water seeped into the cracks and joints. Then, ice formed in the fissures, expanding and failing to ease the pressure up on surrounding rocks. Winds came and went, clearing away the debris yet some fins remained. Wind and water came together as a super force, and some pieces of the arc gave into the force and collapsed, while the stronger and more willing to fight rock remained, thus forming the wondrous Arches we see today.

Where I am located

Map of Arches National Park

How I came to be as I explained before is a very immaculate and precise mechanism, but it is because of where I am located that helped me become who I am today. I lay on top of a underground salt bed. During my early Jurassic desert conditions and my Navajo Sandstone was deposited, then the additional stream helped the sediments of the Entrada Sandstone develop on top of the Navajo Sandstone. These two sandstones combined helped me form. 

Example of Navajo Sandstone

The Navajo Sandstone often times vary in color based off the different chemical processing that it endures. However this Delicate Arch example of a Navajo Sandstone is a rustic color.

 

A few of my famous landmarks

The Arches National Park holds over 2,000 arches and is 73,234 acres of land, that not only hold the beautiful Arches I have mentioned but are home to fins, towers, ribs, balancing rocks and so on. So here are some of my favorite landmarks of my national park. 

The Most Famous Delicate Arch

  The delicate arch is easily the most sought out landmark in the national park, and that is for various reasons. Delicate Arch is formed from Entrada Sandstone, along with many other arches in the park, but this one is particularly most popular because of its location. The original sandstone fin was worn away by erosion leaving this beautiful arch.  

Balancing Rock

This balancing rock is another historic landmark that stands 128 ft. high with the balancing rock rising 55 ft. above the base. This beautifully balanced rock can be seen from the parks main road. 

Landscape Arch

    Landscape Arch is the longest Arch in the park and it is in the area known as the Devils Garden in the North Region of the Park. It is also known as the longest natural arch in the world.  

Double Arch

 The Double Arch is a pair of Arches that is connected and although the Double Arch looks similar to all of the other arch's we have discussed it was formed differently. This arch is an example of the pothole arch and is formed from water erosion above the rock rather than the water erosion from the side of the rock.   

The Three Gossips

The Three Gossips is a sandstone tower that is 350 ft. at its tallest tower. The tower has three very distinctive and flat surfaces including the North, Middle and the South. Usually people hike these sandstones in good weather conditions. 

Fiery Furnace

  Another recreational activity within the National Park is the fiery furnace that withholds many simple details and delicacies that wouldn't be noticed by the naked eye therefore a tour guide has to guide you through the hike. The narrow and towering sandstone walls make it a difficult hike but definitely do not make it impossible to tackle.  

Devils Garden

 Devils Garden features a series of rick fins that have broken out of the Earth due to erosion making a beautiful sight. Along the 7 mile trail there are various arches including the Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, and Landscape Arch that is featured above.

 The Arches National Park is not only a huge landmark for the state of Utah, but is sought out by people from all over near and far. Its arches are spectacular to the point of disbelief, and it has many wonders that are screaming to be explored. 

 

My various forms

To most people Arches look relatively the same and have a consistent look of a typical Arch, however in my National Park I withhold over 2,000 natural sandstone Arches, and each one of them has been crafted differently and is unique in their own architect. Each one withholds its on story of how the Earth shaped it into the Arch it stands to be today. 

Cliff Wall Arch

This is an example of what a typical Cliff Wall Arch looks like, it is usually unseen because it is hard to spot and most of the time they are only recognized if you stand directly under them while looking up. An example of these Cliff wall arches in my park are: Biceps Arch in the Windows area, Park Avenue Arch and Visitor Center Arch.

Pothole Arch 

This type of arch is formed when a section of the wall of a pothole ruptures, in result leaving a area of its rim suspended above the newly formed opening. The process that helped create this pothole is chemical exfoliation, and it causes the initial opening. However these type of arches can only be formed near a cliff wall. Some examples of the famous Porthole Arches in my park include: Pothole Arch Upper and Lower near Garden of Eden and Bean Pot Arch in the Great Wall.  

Natural Bridge Arch 

My Natural Bridge are not as common but when found they are always near a stream or stream channel. These are usually formed through a process of erosion that occur in the horizontally bedded sandstone. The most famous Natural Bridge is not easily found but completely worth the trekk called the Walk Through Bridge in the Fiery Furnace. 

Free Standing Arch 

This is not only the most easily identifiable arch in my park, but it is also the most common, it stands alone apart from any walls or fins, and has a large light opening creating this arch. Some examples of the Free Standing Arch are the most famous Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and Double Arch, North and South Window Arch.