Landscape Arch
Encyclopedia
Natural arch
A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...
located in the Arches National Park
Arches National Park
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....
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA. The arch is among many in the area known as Devil's Garden
Devil's Garden
Devil's Garden is an area of Arches National Park, located near Moab, Utah, that features a series of rock fins that have broken out of the earth due to erosion and produce many spectacular views...
in the north area of the park. It was named by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934, and can be reached by short walk/hike of about 1.5 miles along a maintained trail.
The Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS) considers the Landscape Arch to be the second longest natural arch in the world, having measured the span in 2004 at 290.1 ± 0.8 feet (88.4 m), which is slightly longer than a measurement made by the Society in 2006 of Kolob Arch
Kolob Arch
Kolob Arch is a natural arch in Zion National Park, Utah.The Natural Arch and Bridge Society considers Kolob Arch to be the second longest natural arch in the world. In 2006, the Society measured the span at 287.4 ± 2 feet , which is slightly shorter than the Landscape Arch in Arches National Park...
in Zion National Park
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River...
. Since 1991, three slabs of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet (9.1, 14, and ) long have fallen from the thinnest section of Landscape Arch, prompting the Park Service to close the trail that once passed beneath it.