A geological feature called the 'Double Arch' in southern Utah has collapsed

AUGUST 12, 2024 7:00 AM ET
By Joe Hernandez



This undated photo provided by the National Park Service shows Double Arch before it collapsed in Rock Creek Bay, part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah, last week.
National Parks Service/AP

A popular natural phenomenon in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in southern Utah collapsed last week, the National Park Service said.

According to NPS Rangers, the so-called “Double Arch” in the recreation area’s Rock Creek Bay crumbled on Thursday.

“[T]his event serves as a reminder of our responsibility and need to protect the mineral resources surrounding Lake Powell,” Glen Canyon National Recreation Area superintendent Michelle Kerns said in a statement.



This photo provided by the National Park Service shows the Double Arch after it collapsed last week in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in southern Utah.
Jacob E. Ohlson/AP/National Park Service

The Double Arch — which has also been called the “Toilet Bowl”, the “Crescent Pool” and the “Hole in the Roof” — was formed by 190-million-year-old Navajo sandstone dating from the late Triassic period to early Jurassic period, according to the NPS.

[...]