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Wall Arch in Arches National Monument Collapses

Wall_Arch_Collapse.jpgArches National Park in Utah now has one less arch. “Wall Arch” collapsed last week due to gravity and erosion. The fragile sandstone arch, along the popular Devil’s Garden Trail, is the first arch to collapse since 1991. Luckily, no one was hurt when the great arch fell.

There’s no word on whether rock climbers and illegal climbs contributed to the collapse of the arch, but it doesn’t sound like that was the case. However, if there was any damage to Wall Arch from climbers (like the possible damage to Delicate Arch after Dean Potter climbed it), it certainly could have added stress to the delicate rock formation, which was 33 feet tall and 71 feet across.

Then again, nothing lasts forever and it may have just been time for the arch to come down. Arches National Park Chief Interpretation Officer, Paul Henderson, said eventually all arches in the park will succumb to the forces of nature.

“They all let go after a while,” Henderson said Friday in the article on CNN.

A portion of the trail around Wall Arch is currently closed to hikers because of falling rock and additional stress fractures noted in what’s left of the formation. It won’t be reopened until it’s deemed safe.

Wall Arch was the 12th largest of the park’s 2,000 arches.

Did you have the chance to see Wall Arch in Arches National Park while it was still standing?

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