WONDERS OF NATURE
Arch Park. Nature miracle In advertising booklets dedicated to the US state of Utah, you will surely come across a photograph of a strange natural formation resembling an elongated arc. This is the famous Graceful Arch - the most famous of the almost two thousand pink sandstone structures of this kind. Over millions of years, wind and water carved them into soft sedimentary rocks that are located in southwestern Utah, near the border with Colorado. The local Indians - from the Yuti and Navajo tribes - this arch was known hundreds of years ago. They called it the "rainbow of stone", considered it sacred and kept its location a secret. However, in the middle of the XNUMXth century, the first white colonizers of the Wild West had no time for arches. They were driven to California by a thirst for gold and easy money. Following the miners came the Mormons. They settled here firmly and for a long time. It is no coincidence that the state of Utah is considered their original homeland. Conflicts with the Indians gradually faded away. Armed clashes are a thing of the past. By the way, the Indians still control part of the state.
Pale-faced people first saw a huge bright spot only in 1909. Since then, this amazing area began to gain popularity points among them. Later there was a reserve. The number of arches in it is not constant. Some do not withstand the pressure of time and finally collapse. Others, on the contrary, rise to the status of an arch, gradually increasing their size. In order for a hole in the rock to be considered an arch, its width must be at least one meter. Nowadays, an "avenue" leads to the park - a highway from which the crests of monuments sticking up upwards resemble a palisade of New York skyscrapers. Three powerful rocky remnants with their contours look like huge female figures standing close to each other. In the park they are called "Three gossips". A strong impression on all visitors to the park is made by the Balancing Rock. A huge "muzzle" weighing about 3600 tons stands on a cliff, connected to it by a very small jumper. It is completely incomprehensible how it does not fall. It seems to be another a strong gust of wind, and this colossus will collapse down.However, it stands still as if rooted to the spot. It is recommended to move around the park only along existing paths and paths. The fact is that the soil here is extremely peculiar. There is simply no classic fertile black soil or even modest loam here. Accordingly, the vegetation is tight - only juniper bushes resistant to adversity, prickly pear cacti and trees with twisted trunks, long dead and dried up, come across. No wonder - the climate here is harsh - sharply continental. In summer, the thermometer rises above 40 ° C, in winter piercing winds blow and snow falls. As a result, instead of the soil in the park, there is a fairly thin layer of cyanobacteria, lichens, algae and fungal filaments. American scientists even came up with a special name for this living mixture - cryptobiological crust. It is easy to break it, but it is slowly restored. Some parts of the park have their own names. For example, "Devil's Forest", "Garden of Eden", "Wolf Ranch" or "Windows". From a distance it seems that the holes in the rocks really resemble the size of real shop windows. And only when you come closer to them along a short path of wide slabs, you are surprised how huge these openings are. Everyone who comes to the park must go to look at the Graceful Arch. The same, famous, with which this story began. The length of its span is a little less than a hundred meters. The height of the arch from the base to the highest point is 88 meters. American President Theodore Roosevelt called this arch the greatest wonder of nature. To photograph her, some visitors find a good angle, shooting her through the opening of another arch. This arch is called the Frame.
In 1991, several pieces fell off the lower part of the Graceful Arch. As a result, she became thinner. This miracle of nature is not eternal. Make sure to see him. Author: Afonkin S.Yu. We recommend interesting articles Section Wonders of nature: ▪ Sequoia See other articles Section Wonders of nature. Read and write useful comments on this article. Latest news of science and technology, new electronics: Artificial leather for touch emulation
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