sandstone arches
Erosion-carved rock spans
Sandstone arches are natural rock formations where erosion has carved an opening through a fin or wall of sandstone, leaving a curved span of rock overhead.
They form over millions of years as water, ice, and wind wear away softer rock while harder layers remain.
Arches National Park in Utah contains over two thousand such formations.
The sandstone arches glowed orange at sunset.
- Utah desertArid southwestern state terrain
- desertsAbandons or barren lands
- cliffsSteep natural rock walls
- tourism sitesPlaces drawing sightseers
- photo opportunityStaged moment for cameras
park ranger · natural bridges · weathering · iron oxide · erosion · quartz · rock shelters · freeze-thaw cycles · artistic inspiration · exfoliation · cultural heritage sites · geological surveys · conservation projects · feldspar · river valleys · hiking destinations · national parks · sedimentation
sandstone archesconcrete bridges
Spans built from cement
steel bridges · suspension bridges · Roman aqueducts · viaducts · stone bridges
sandstone archesmonoliths
Large single-stone structures
mesas · granite domes · cliff faces · buttes · boulder fields
sand, stone, arch, sands, stones, arches, sandy, sandier, sandiest