Transcript ARCHES_NATIONAL_PARK2 - Brown

DELICATE ARCH
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
BY
Stefan Ionascu
OVERVIEW
There are many places with arches and natural bridges in the world. But, there is no place so
beautiful and with so many arches such as Arches National Park. It is located in Grand County, Utah,
north of the town of Moab, Arches National Park has over 2,000 recorded arches .
The Jurassic-era sandstones covers the entire park and has the amazing ability to change shape
throughout the years into arches. That gives the park its name.
MAP OF ARCHES NATIONAL
PARK
MAP OF USA/Red dot marks ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
WHAT YEAR DID THE PARK BECOME AN
OFFICIAL NATIONAL PARK AND WHY?
In 1922 Arches was discovered as a potential tourist attraction by a local miner and prospector
named Alexander Ringhoffer.
In 1929, by an Act of Congress, under President Herbert Hoover’s permission, it was named
first as Arches National Monument. Only in 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the law that
changed Arches to a National Park and set its size at the present 73,233 acres.
The Arches National Park was
created to protect the sandstone
formations such as arches, spires,
balanced rocks, gargoyles, hoodoos,
towers, ribs etc.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF USA
Red dot marks ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
SAND DUNE ARCH
WHAT SPECIAL LANFORMS OR FEATURES ARE
INSIDE ARCHES NATIONAL PARK?
Arches National Park sits on an underground salt bed called the Paradox Formation. The park is
filled with arches, towering spires, balanced rocks, fins and eroded monoliths. Beside these, there
are lush riparian areas, ephemeral pools, dry arroyos, mixed grasslands and large expanses of bare
rock. Arches also has cryptobiotic soil and potholes.
POTHOLE IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
MESA ARCH
BALANCED ROCK ARCH
WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ARE
AFFECTING ARCHES NATIONAL PARK?
Do not step on Cryptobionic crust, its alive! This is a dark crust, made out of Cyanobacteria,
lichens algae and fungi. It can be found everywhere on the ground of the Arches. It’s important
because it helps desert plants grow and it protects against erosion. It takes up to 50 years to
regenerate Cyanobacteria.
Soil erosion is linked to
wind erosion. Wind
blows away particles of
sand which changes the
landscape over time.
CRYPTOBIONIC CRUST
SIGNS IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Each year, Arches is visited by 700,000 visitors.
THE ROOTS OF A
BLACKBRUSH EXPOSED TO
SOIL EROSION
The park’s ecosystem is threatened by careless visitors, noise, water, and air pollution.
Oil and gas leasing near Arches have a great impact on the park: air quality is diminished, water
would be sucked from the already dry lands, and pumps would degrade the ecosystem of the
park. There is a constant battle to restrict such things. But environmentalists have been helping
keep Arches the same.
HOW IS TECHNOLOGY USED TO HELP PERSERVE
AND MAINTAIN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK?
MAN-MADE TRAIL
VAULT TOILETS
SIDEWALK AT THE
SKYLINE ARCH TRAILHEAD
80% of the park’s entrance fees are used for important projects such as: building sidewalks to
allow more access to scenic views, making retaining walls to protect the arches from erosion,
constructing trails that don’t disrupt the organisms, replacing the vault toilets, upgrading the
campgrounds, repairing park structures, and updating utility systems.
There is a way to help preserve Arches, balloon riding! It
is fun and you can catch a lot of scenery, but best of all it
doesn’t destroy the land below.
BALLOON WATCHING
WHAT TYPE OF ROCKS CAN BE FOUND IN
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK?
The most found rock in Arches
National Park is Entrada sandstone. It’s
color is red and it is a sedimentary rock
that is a blend of textures and densities
combined together with various amounts
of calcium carbonate cement. The wind
and water erosion wears away the
sandstone which then creates arches.
DOUBLE ARCH
Chalcedony, is a variety of
quartz. The American Indians
were attracted to the area
around delicate arch because of
Chalcedony, which could be
used to make arrowheads,
spear points, grinding bowls and
others.
ENTRADA SANDSTONE
LANDSCAPE ARCH
CHALCEDONY
HOW WAS ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
FORMED? (FROM EARTH SCIENCE
PERSPECTIVE)
300,000 million years ago a sea covered the area of Arches. The
sea evaporated 29 times and exposed a thick salt bed. Rock and soil
from inland started moving onto the salt bed, covering it. Since the salt
was less dense than the rocks and soil it seeped upward forming domes
with small valleys between them. Arches is exposed to high winds,
water erosion and frost that changes Arches everyday.
DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW ARCHES ARE FORMED
FINS IN ARCHES
NATIONAL PARK
DIAGRAM FOR WIND EROSION
HOW IS THE LAND INSIDE
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
CURRENTLY CHANGING?
The arches that you see today in Arches National Park used
to be flat barren rock. Later wind, water, and ice erosion eroded
the domes collapsing them which then made ‘fins’. Then wind,
water and ice erosion collapsed the bottom of the fin. Which
then made an arch.
But erosion is not only helping Arches but destroying it.
Erosion wears away an arch and it may collapse. So the arches
that you see now probably wont be there 1000 years from now.
DIAGRAMS ILLUSTARTING THE FORMATION OF
AN ARCH
DIAGRAMS
ILLUSTARTING THE
FORMATION OF FINS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/arches-national-park-ga2.htm
http://www.untraveledroad.com/arches-national-park.htm
http://www.us-parks.com/arches-national-park/arches-national-park.html
http://www.nps.gov/arch/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/arches-nationalpark
http://www.sangres.com/utah/national-parks/arches-nationalpark/index.htm#.Vldhw16z4gc
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0787299707
http://www.nps.gov/arch/learn/management/yourdollarsatwork.htm
https://www.npca.org/parks/arches-national-park
BIBLIOGRAPHY (CONTINUE)
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https://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/arch/arch_gre_rpt_view.pdf
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-nature-carvesandstone-pillars-arches-180952068/?no-ist
http://creation.com/rock-arches-and-the-flood
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/erosion
http://www.desertusa.com/arches/du_arc_desc.html
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/arches-nationalpark/