Weathering

The most important force that shaped Arches National Park is weathering. Without weathering Arches would be nothing more that a pile of rocks and one of the elegant structures could have formed.

  Notice in the photo above the large boulders laying on the ground in Double Arch. Arches was formed to to the expiation of a great salt dome. Due to this salt dome the sands and rocks in Arches have a large amount of salt. When salt partials heat and cool they expand and contract more than stones this causes small or large peaces of rock to begin to break away.

Salt Particles

Although most weathering in Arches is due to Salt it is not the only form. If an arch forms in a spillway it is actually not and arch but rather a natural bridge. A bridge plain and simple is a arch formed by running water. 

The final form of weathering that affects arches is wind weathering, however wind is often given more credit than it has earned. Wind can smooth out the base of rocks by beating sand off the stones, however the wind can only lift the sang a few feet from the ground. Wind itself is only causes minor weathering.