Mesa Arch

June 22, 2005

Arch

Referred by: Phil Dombrowski
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Phil Dombrowski

The photo above was taken from Canyonlands National Park, Utah in April of 2002. The view is looking through Mesa Arch -- the silhouette of Washer Woman Arch is below the Sun. Approximately 10 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau, encompassing much of present day Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, was uplifted and thus became more susceptible to erosional processes since rivers could down-cut more forcefully and rapidly. Over the eons, erosion of sedimentary rock layers (mainly sandstone and limestone) by both water and wind created the park's countless canyons, variety of colors and spectacular natural sculptures.

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