Wall Arch, one of the iconic rock formations at Arches National Park, collapsed and fell sometime last week. The before and after photo above shows the Arch as it once was and how it now appears.
According to this article from MSNBC.com, the collapse was discovered late last week, with national park officials on the scene on Thursday to inspect the area. They found more stress fractures in the parts of the arch that were still standing, leading them to believe that those portions may yet come down as well.
The arches that dominate the park have been created over millions of years of erosion from wind and water, and it was that continued erosion that finally brought Wall Arch down. Eventually the arch can no longer support its own weight and it simply collapses under the stress of gravity.
It’s a shame that something like this has to happen and take away one of the real attractions at Arches National Park. It’s a natural process of course, and beautiful to behold, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
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Scientists have been predicting this happening for some time now, but it still is a shame. I always wanted to see it, alhtough there are still plenty of other arches down there, this was the most inconic.
Yeah, you know it’s only a matter of time. But that amount of time could be years, decades, or centuries. Still sad to see.
Delicate Arch is probably stilly my favorite. But its… you know… delicate! 😉