Natures Arches
by Bruce Bley
Title
Natures Arches
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This photograph of one of the "Double Arches" was taken on a recent trip to Arches National Park in the south eastern part of Southern Utah. The arches are huge in relationship to you and it is quite amazing to realize how they have stayed in tact weathering the elements through hundreds of years.
Arches National Park is a U.S. National Park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations.
The park is located just outside of Moab, Utah, and is 76,679 acres (31,031 ha) in area. Its highest elevation is 5,653 feet (1,723 m) at Elephant Butte, and its lowest elevation is 4,085 feet (1,245 m) at the visitor center. Forty-three arches have collapsed due to erosion since 1970. The park receives 10 inches (250 mm) of rain a year on average.
Administered by the National Park Service, the area was originally created as a National Monument on April 12, 1929. It was redesignated as a National Park on November 12, 1971.
The national park lies atop 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 in the area. This salt bed is thousands of feet thick in places, and was deposited in the Paradox Basin of the Colorado Plateau some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 210 Ma) desert conditions prevailed in the region and the vast Navajo Sandstone was deposited. An additional sequence of stream laid and windblown sediments, the Entrada Sandstone (about 140 Ma), was deposited on top of the Navajo. Over 5000 feet (1500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and have been mostly eroded away. Remnants of the cover exist in the area including exposures of the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. The arches of the area are developed mostly within the Entrada formation.
The weight of this cover caused the salt bed below it to liquefy and thrust up layers of rock into salt domes. The evaporites of the area formed more unusual salt anticlines or linear regions of uplift. Faulting occurred and whole sections of rock subsided into the areas between the domes. In some places, they turned almost on edge. The result of one such 2,500-foot (760 m) displacement, the Moab Fault, is seen from the visitor center.
As this subsurface movement of salt shaped the landscape, erosion removed the younger rock layers from the surface. Except 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. These are visible in layer cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over time, water seeped into the surface cracks, joints, and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces. Winds later cleaned out the loose particles. A series of free-standing fins remained. Wind and water attacked these fins until, in some, the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. Many damaged fins collapsed. Others, with the right degree of hardness and balance, survived despite their missing sections. These became the famous arches
Uploaded
November 30th, 2013
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Viewed 160 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 02/20/2024 at 8:12 AM
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Comments (22)
Beth Harcek
It is my dream to see this place with my own eyes...wonderful shot!
Bruce Bley replied:
I hope your dream comes true, Beth. You won't regret seeing it for your self. It is stunning landscape for sure. Thank you for the nice comment.
Bruce Bley
Doug, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery". Thank you for the honor.
Jeannie Rhode Photography
Bruce, Congratulations on your Feature in WFS ! Great capture of this Double Arch with nice light.
Nick Boren
A great shot of Arches. I like how you composed it. fv
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the compliment, Nick. I truly appreciate it and thank you for the vote.
Bruce Bley
Thank you for the feature in the group "Artists News", Nadine and Bob. I am very grateful for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Bob and Nadine, Thank you for the feature in the group "All Natural Scenic Landscapes". I truly appreciate it.
Bruce Bley
Eva, Thank you for the feature in the group "Places You Visited and Would Recommend to Others - 3 per Day. I am very grateful for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Thank you for the feature in the group "3 A Day Greeting Cards for All Occasions", Darren. It is much appreciated.
Marianne Campolongo
Wonderful! Fave!
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the nice comment, Marianne. I am glad you enjoyed this photograph.
Bruce Bley
Thank you again for the feature in the group "Collectors Treasures". Krista. I am very grateful for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Thank you for the feature in the group "Best Artwork Collections, Krista. I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Thank you again for the feature in the group "Orange -Yellow- Red Photography, Colette. I am very grateful for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Thank you for the feature in the group "Beauty", James. I certainly appreciate the honor.