Arches National Park(Moab, Utah)

By Andrew Farrell, James Sullivan, and Stephen Fung

Geology (How the Arches Formed)

Type of rock

Sandstone: made of grains of sand cemented together by minerals. The Entrada Sandstone was once a massive desert, full of shifting dunes of fine-grained sand. When packed together, they formed a rock that is very porous (full of tiny spaces).

In contrast, the Carmel layer just beneath the Entrada contains a mix of sand and clay. Clay particles are much smaller than sand grains; making the rock denser and less porous than a purer sandstone.

Geology (Erosion)• On average, the park receives 8-10 inches

(18-23cm) of precipitation a year.

Drops of rainwater soak into the porous

Entrada sandstone easily and then slowly

dissolve the calcite bonding the sand

together – in other words, rotting the rock

from the inside out.

Water puddles just above the denser

Carmel layer where it erodes a cavity. In

winter, water trapped between the two

layers expands when it freezes and pries

the rock apart.

Geology (Formation of the Arches)

Deep beneath the surface lies a thick layer of salts. Squeezed by the tons of rock above it, the salt flowed and bulged upward, creating long domes.

The rock layers covering these domes were forced to crack, into a series of more-or-less parallel lines.

Ecological History (Climate) Climate data for Arches National Park Headquarters (1981–2010 normals)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average high °F

(°C)

43.1(6.2)

50.7(10.4)

62.2(16.8)

70.7(21.5)

81.5(27.5)

92.7(33.7)

99.3(37.4)

96.3(35.7)

87.2(30.7)

72.9(22.7)

56.7(13.7)

43.9(6.6)

71.4(21.9)

Average low °F (°C)

21.4(−5.9)

27.9(−2.3)

36.3(2.4)

43.5(6.4)

52.4(11.3)

62.1(16.7)

69.1(20.6)

67.5(19.7)

57.3(14.1)

43.8(6.6)

32.3(0.2)

23.5(−4.7)

44.8(7.1)

Precipitation inches (mm)

0.58(14.7)

0.50(12.7)

0.78(19.8)

0.74(18.8)

0.68(17.3)

0.44(11.2)

0.83(21.1)

0.96(24.4)

0.84(21.3)

1.24(31.5)

0.60(15.2)

0.55(14)

8.74(222)

Snowfall inches (cm)

1.9(4.8)

.9(2.3)

.7(1.8)

0(0)

0(0)

0(0)

0(0)

0(0)

0(0)

0(0)

.6(1.5)

2.5(6.4)

6.6(16.8)

Avg. precipitatio

n days (≥ 0.01 in)

4.0 4.4 6.1 5.3 4.6 3.1 5.2 6.6 5.2 5.5 4.5 3.9 58.4

Avg. snowy

days (≥ 0.1 in)

1.3 .8 .4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .4 1.4 4.3

Source: NOAA (extremes 1893–present)[8]

Ecological History (Biome/Dominant wildlife)

Main biome in the arches is Desserts.

About one-third of the area's mammals are rodents, which include squirrels, packrats, chipmunks and porcupines.

Largest predators are the coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions.

Endemic Species

Desert Bighorn Sheep- no longer endangered

Mule Deer

Western Collard Lizard

Kangaroo Rats

Datura (plant)

Cacti

Human History

Hunter and Gatherers first entered the area 10,000 years ago after the Ice Age

About 2,000 years ago was when people first started cultivating the land

Around 700 years ago the people started leaving the area

Europeans first visited the lands in the 1840’s

Protection of the Park

National Parks Service is the government organization protecting the Park

It is beautiful and one of the most unique places on earth

The biggest collections of Arches on Earth

Threats and cures

Biggest Threat: HumansExtreme sportsTraffic congestion

Lack of Budget

Non-native speciesRussian KnapweedEnglish sparrows

Largest Rope Swinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B36Lr0Unp4

Bibliography

National Parks Service. U.S. Department of The Interior, 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

 "Arches National Park." National Geographic. National Geographic, 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2014

Google Images

Gantenbein, Douglas. "Our National Parks Are in Danger." Travel + Leisure. Time Inc., Aug. 2004. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

Webquest

Denis Julien was a - explorer that was the first recorded European to visit the area.

Which President made this area an official national park?

What species once had its population reduced to 1,000?

The Arches are composed of what type of rock?

What is the biggest threat to Arches?

Webquest

How much precipitation does Arches National Park average each year?

True or False: It has snowed in Arches National Park

About of all mammals in Arches National Park are rodents.

True or False: Arches National Park is the only place on earth with natural arches

Tourists in Arches National Park increase the rate of in the park.