Evening star., 1940-03-01
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study

tu bSuOS 0OOVlOtVuy
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
One Of the weirdest spots on earth,
where the waters Of 150.000,0o0 years
have carved strange figures over $4,000
acres Of barren sandstone, has just been
reported by geologists Of the National
Park Service.
The area lies in the Southeastern
corner of Utah, near the Arches National
Monument Of $500 acres set aside by
the Government 10 years ago. Explor-
ing the desolate country around this
monument the geologists have found
region with nearly 100 natural bridges,
at least one Of which is among the
largest in the world, and human and
animal figures of gigantic proportions.
They have applied to it such names as
The Devils Garden, The Yellow Cat and
Klondyke Bluffs. Within the area are
rock-entombed bones Of the gigantic
dinosaurs
A curious combination of geological
circumstances resulted in the strange
carvings, according to Geologist Charles
N. Gould, who has just made his report
to the Washington headquarters. The
rocks were laid down during the 500O0,-
600 years of the Jurassic geological
period, which was the heyday Of the
dinosaurs During much of this time
the country probably was luxurious
v,oy,1ord ", v,,bnc hn
grotesque creatures wallowed.
Out of the mud and sand rock layers
750 feet thick were built up in four
stages. The bottom layer, so feet thick,
is of very hard, red sandstone and mud
stone. In the 150,0Oo,000 years which
have elapsed since the Jurassic the
countryside has been subjected to titanic
cracking forces. The result has been a
criss-cross of great cracks in the rocks
running about 20 feet apart. In most
places the cracks are 75O feet deep.
AS explained by Mr.. Gould: Water
from the rain entered these cracks and
dissolved out the cementing material of
the sandstone. In time the cracks were
enlarged and the slabs, or "fins," of red
sandstone remained standing vertical
Some of these slabs are not more than
10 or 20 feet thick and as much as $50
feet high. Eventually, after weathering
has progressed far enough, they fall
Of their own weight
Into these upright slabs of rock arches
have been cut. In many cases only
small opening few feet in diameter has
been carved. Once started, this opening
Is enlarged by weathering and the force
Of gravity, until large arch has been
formed. Such an arch continually en-
larges until it becomes natural bridge
and, after sufficient time has elapsed,
it will fall of its own weight, leaving
standing the buttresses at either end. The
largest of these has been named Land
scape Arch because it frames the scene
Of the Devils Garden. 1t is 29l feet
long. All stages in the development of
bridges can be seen from the small OPEN
ing scarcely large enough to be noted, to
the bridge which has fallen In, leaving
only the end buttresses. A systematic
count of these arches doubtless will bring
the number to 100 or more
In many places the unequal weather.
ing of the rocks has produced bewil-
dering array of erosion forms, including
towers, turrets, needles, spires, buttresses
pinacles, domes, balanced rocks, tent
rocks, pedestal rocks, caves, arches. All
sorts Of queer and bizarre forms are
found, often In bewildering confusion.
The erosion forms assume fancied re-
semblance to human faces or figures of
animal heads. One portrays Adam and
Eve and the apple. Another looks like
a parade of elephants. Another takes the
form of an eagle"
The weird area has escaped notice up
to the present. except from the sparse
population of the neighborhood, because
of its barren character and the difficulty
of getting into It, During the summer
there is sparse growth Of grass over
much of it and local ranchers have used
it for cattle grazing. AS ranch land,
however, it is almost as worthless as a
region of equal size on the surface of the
moon. It is almost entirely devoid of
water. which is one of the problems Of
the National Park Service in converting
1t into q national monument.