![]() Obviously this is a very large natural bridge so not of comparable scale to Rainbow Arch, just one of the rare few examples where we have some data on the age of initial formation of a natural arch or bridge. in Geology of Utah’s Parks and Monuments (2010). From these, the age of the initial puncture of the meander bend at Rainbow Bridge has been estimated to be about 30,000 years ago – this is reported by Chidsey et al. Geologists have dated abandoned river terraces in the Glen Canyon region and used these to estimate rates of incision of the Colorado River. The best example we know is Rainbow Bridge, which formed as an entrenched meander bend in bedrock was punctured and cut off. Quantitative data and chances to determine the age of initial formation of an arch are actually quite rare. ![]() Rainbow Arch lives on in the virtual world as an interactive 3D model made by the research team that can be found at. While they can’t say for certain what caused the collapse, they believe the most likely explanation is that fatigue caused by daily and annual heating cycles finally stressed the tip of the crack enough to cause a runaway failure sometime this past winter. ![]() The collapse is bittersweet for the team, as it highlights and validates the fragility of these features, but unfortunately they were unable to record its last few weeks and months and identify accumulating damage. How would you describe Arches National Park to someone who had never been to the Southwest You could try to explain the landscape by comparing it to the. However, the team observed no changes in the crack or vibration characteristics over 12 months, and backed off on their monitoring program, believing the arch to be more stable that it appeared. The crack is circled in the photo below.Ĭlose-up photo of the crack before collapse: The team made vibration measurements four times at the site in 2017, focusing on a prominent crack working through the center of the span that appeared to be putting the structure in jeopardy. The “before-after” comparison below was assembled by Holly Walker. The “before collapse” photos here were taken by Jeff Moore, and the “after collapse” photos were taken by Paul Geimer. The arch was cataloged by Stevens and McCarrick as SA-137 and had a reported span of 11.7 feet.Ī research team from the University of Utah, including Jeff Moore and Paul Geimer, had actually been studying this arch not long before the collapse. Several strategies have been put forward to avoid. A park ranger noticed it was no longer standing during a hike in February. PDF Flowing grains can clog an orifice by developing arches, an undesirable event in many cases. Rainbow Arch, located just above the visitor center in Arches National Park, collapsed sometime this winter.
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