The Geologic Story of Arches National Park: Geological Survey Bulletin 1393Lohman, Stanley William
Science
The Geologic Story of Arches National Park: Geological Survey Bulletin 1393
Lohman, Stanley William
Arches National Park (Utah); Geology -- Utah -- Arches National Park -- Guidebooks
Just around the curve east of Cove of Caves is the first of two parking
lots (stop 11) forming a one-way loop at the end of this branch of the
road. From the loop may be seen the greatest concentration of readily
accessible arches in the park, all of which are roofed by the Slick Rock
Member and floored by the Dewey Bridge Member. Let us take the short
paved trail from the upper lot to the southeast, where we come first to
North Window (fig. 37). If we walk through this arch and climb the rock
beyond (fig. 37 caption), we see one of the best views in the park (fig.
38). A short walk south of North Window brings us to South Window (fig.
39). The other side of this arch may be reached either by walking around
the nearby southeast end of the fin or by walking through North Window.
A short walk to the southwest brings us to Turret Arch—the one seen
through North Window in figure 38. Figure 40 was taken from the
southwest side of Turret Arch, viewed northeastward toward South Window,
one corner of which appears at the left. Both North and South Windows
may be seen in one photograph taken from points near Turret Arch.
[Illustration: COVE ARCH AND COVE OF CAVES, on north side of road
just west of Double Arch and Parade of Elephants. Arch at left and
three of the caves on right are roofed by Slick Rock Member and
floored by Dewey Bridge Member. Arch is 48½ feet wide and 34 feet
high. In time the caves will eat through the 30-foot-thick fin and
become arches. Note sharp contact between Dewey Bridge Member and
Navajo Sandstone. (Fig. 36)]
[Illustration: NORTH WINDOW, viewed to the northeast. Large rock
seemingly partly blocking left end of arch actually is the southeast
end of a fin some 50 feet or more beyond the arch, from which figure
38 was taken. Arch is 93 feet wide and 51 feet high. (Fig. 37)]
From the lower parking lot (stop 12), a short walk by paved trail takes
us to spectacular Double Arch, shown in figure 17. This arch is visible
from the parking lot but is best seen and photographed from at or near
the end of the trail. Looking westward from near the trail’s end, we see
the Parade of Elephants, shown in figure 41. This feature is described
on pages 16 and 17 of “The Guide to an Auto Tour of Arches National
Park” as “whimsical stone statuary resembling a circus pachyderm parade.
With tail in trunk, the elephants rumble toward you along a sandstone
roadway.”
Ribbon Arch, on the north side of Elephant Butte, is one of the most
delicate ones in the park (fig. 1). Although it is 50 feet wide and 55
feet high, the rock span is only 1½ feet wide and 1 foot thick.
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