Arches National Park

Arches National Park
a national park in E Utah: natural arch formations. 114 sq. mi. (295 sq. km).

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Preserve, eastern Utah, U.S. Located on the Colorado River north of Moab, the preserve was established as a national monument in 1929 and as a national park in 1971.

Its area is 115 sq mi (298 sq km). The park's red limestone has been eroded into unusual shapes, including Courthouse Towers, Fiery Furnace, and Devils Garden, the site of Landscape Arch, at 291 ft (89 m) the longest natural rock bridge in the world.

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 desert area of sandstone formations in eastern Utah, U.S., on the Colorado River just north of Moab and northeast of Canyonlands National Park. Established as a national monument in 1929 and as a national park in 1971, it has an area of 120 square miles (310 square km).

 The park lies on the northern edge of the Colorado Plateau at elevations roughly between 4,000 and 5,600 feet (1,200 and 1,700 metres). The area's red sandstone has eroded into a variety of unusual shapes, including pinnacles, windows, and arches. Notable features are Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers (with spires that resemble skyscrapers), The Windows Section, Delicate Arch, Fiery Furnace (so named because it glows in the setting sun), and Devils Garden. Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet (93 metres) from base to base, was the longest freestanding natural span of rock in the world; it collapsed in 1991. In 2008 Wall Arch, one of the park's most-photographed arches, also fell.

      Underlying the present landscape of the park is a salt bed that was deposited some 300 million years ago. Sand and other sediments covered the salt bed and eventually were compressed into rock. The weight of this overlying rock caused the unstable salt bed to shift and buckle; layers of rock were moved upward to form domes, while elsewhere in the region cavities developed. When a salt dome collapsed, the rocks on its flanks cracked. Wind and water erosion formed fins of sandstone out of the cracked rock, and further weathering (particularly of the sides of the fins) created rock arches. More than 2,000 arches have been cataloged in the park.

      The park's arid climate and rocky soil support mainly scrub and grasses, although forests of scattered juniper and piñon pine trees cover about half the area. Wildlife includes jackrabbits, mule deer, foxes, and a variety of birds, including golden eagles and piñon jays.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Arches National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

  • Arches National Park — Arches Nationalpark Double O Arch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Arches National Park —   [ ɑːtʃɪz næʃnl pɑːk], Nationalpark in Ostutah, USA, über der Schlucht des Colorado, 297 km2; gegründet 1929. In rötlichen Sandsteinschichten des Mesozoikums entstanden hier durch Verwitterung und Erosion über 90 Naturbrücken und türme …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Arches National Park — Parc national des Arches Arches Catégorie II de la CMAP (Parc national) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arches National Park — Sp Árkų nacionãlinis párkas Ap Arches National Park L JAV (Juta) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Arches National Park — This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Arches National Park. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Arches National Park, Utah, United… …   Wikipedia

  • Arches National Park — noun a national park in Utah including mountains and the Colorado River gorge and huge rock formations caused by erosion • Instance Hypernyms: ↑national park • Part Holonyms: ↑Utah, ↑Beehive State, ↑Mormon State, ↑UT * * * a national park in E… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Arches National Park — Arch′es Na′tional Park′ n. geg a national park in E Utah: natural arch formations. 114 sq. mi. (295 sq. km) …   From formal English to slang

  • Arches National Park — geographical name reservation E Utah including wind eroded natural arch formations …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • National Park Passport Stamps — Example of a National Park Passport Stamp for the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area At nearly all of the 397 American National Park units (and many of the National Park Service s affiliated areas), one or more National Park Passport… …   Wikipedia

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