Arches National ParkHannah MorenoHannah Moreno

What year did Arches National Park become an official National Park and why? Arches National Park used to be a National Monument before it became a National Park. It became a National Monument April 12, 1929. Arches National Monument became a National Park on November 12, 1971. Arches National Monument was created by an Act of Congress to protect the sandstone formations (arches, spires, balanced rocks, etc). The Act of Congress thought it would be even better for the sandstone formations if Arches was a National Park so Arches National Monument was changed to a national park.

The Double Arch

Tens of thousands of years ago, wind carried small particles that weathered and eroded the sandstone and other rocks. The wind carried the particles at just the right level for the particles to cement together and carve out arches and other sandstone formations. Myths say that the arches could be ancient cities built by giants thousands of years ago. Because of erosions that might have taken place, the ancient cities do not look much like cities anymore.

How was Arches National Park formed?

The View from Inside an Arch

A Sandstone Formation

What types of rocks can be found inside Arches National Park? Arches was all sandstone before it became a national park. It still lies today on what we call Arches National Park. Arches National Park is famous for its special sandstone formations. But what exactly is sandstone? It’s a sedimentary rock that looks very much like sand. You may be wondering, “What other rocks are found in Arches National Park?” Everything in Arches National Park is made of sandstone (literally, everything).

A Sandstone Rock

What special landforms or features are inside Arches National Park? Arches National Park has a very wide variety of different landforms and features. Some special features include the Delicate Arch, the Skyline Arch, the Double Arch, the Landscape Arch, the Wall Arch, and the Double O Arch. Some of Arches National Park’s more unique features are the Balanced Rock, the Courthouse Towers, the Petrified Dunes, the Devil’s Garden, the Fiery Furnace, and the Dark Angel. All of these landforms are special and different than all the others. For instance, the Dark Angel, (shown at the right), is simply a tower of sandstone while the Double Arch is actually two arches put together into one beautiful structure.Note: Many of these landforms are shown sometime throughout this PowerPoint.

The Dark Angel

How is the land inside Arches National Park currently changing?

Arches National park has changed massively in the past and is continuing to change today. Scientists expect many more arches to form in the future, while at the same time, many arches and landforms are collapsing due to weathering and erosion. Through deposition, more thick layers of rock are slowly being deposited on top of famous landforms – The beautiful scenery today could be gone millions of years in the future (‘gone’ meaning covered by layers of rock)! As well as most other national parks, Arches National Park has hundreds of growing and dying plants scattered around. I really wonder how these plants and landforms will change and develop in time.

The View of a Sandstone Formation from a Distance

The View from Inside an Arch

What environmental issues are affecting Arches National Park?

Arches National Park is currently in very good condition, but even so, there are still many environmental issues affecting the park. Arches National Park used to be beautiful under the night sky, but now it is filled with light pollution ruining the beauty. As you might have guessed, it is very windy at Arches National Park and there are air pollutants that get carried in with the wind and kill nature’s plants. In addition, Arches is covered with cryptobiotic crust that can be killed just by someone stepping on it, so stay on the trail and help the environment!

A Sandstone Formation

How is technology used to help preserve and maintain Arches National Park?

Technology is a huge part of so many national parks – Arches National Park probably wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for technology. First of all, Arches is full of hiking trails and maps so visitors won’t get lost – without all these trails, people wouldn’t know where to go and they might damage the ground by stepping in the wrong place. In addition, park rangers measure all the landforms here and take tests using technology. They check to see if any landform is close to collapsing and make sure no one goes near those landforms. Arches National Park always stays safe for visitors, with the help of technology, of course!

The View of the Delicate Arch from a Distance

Official Park Map

Arches National Park’s official map is shown to the right. Only the most famous landforms are identified.

USA Map The red dot represents the location of Arches National

Park on the U.S.A. map below.

Topographic Map

Below is a topographic map of Arches National Park.

BIBLIOGRAPHYWEBSITES

Note: I made my website bibliographies in this order: Title, source type, editor, date created, date seen, address.

"How Stuff Works "History: How Arches National Park Was Formed"" How stuff works "Adventure" Ed. Publications International, Ltd., 2006. Web. 20 May

2010.<http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/arches-national-park-ga2.htm>.

"Arches National Park in 1,235 Images." Untraveled Road * Virtual Travel for the Hiker, Traveler and Outdoorsman. Ed. "UNTRAVELED ROAD“, 1999. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.untraveledroad.com/Arches-National-Park.htm>.

"Arches National Park Travel Guide - Trip Planning and Information for Arches National Park - US-Parks.com." National Parks Travel Guide - US-Parks.com. Ed. US - Parks. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.us-parks.com/arches-national-park.html>.

BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTINUEDENCYCLOPEDIA

Note: I made my encyclopedia bibliography in this order: Article, author, title, editor, date seen.

“Arches – Student Information.” National Park Service. Arches: Ed. U.S. Department of the Interior. Print. 20 May 2010

BOOK

Note: I made my book bibliography in this order: Author, title, city, publisher, year, date seen.

Johnson, David W. “Arches: The Story behind the Scenery.” Las Vegas: KC Publications, 1997. Print. 20 May 2010