Delicate Arch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Delicate Arch
View of the Delicate Arch at sunset, August 2005
Delicate Arch Location in Utah Show map of Utah Delicate Arch Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Nearest city	Moab
Elevation	4,606 ft (1,404 m)
Dimensions	52 ft (16 m) high

Delicate Arch is a 52-foot-tall (16 m) freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park, near Moab in Grand County, Utah, United States. The arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on Utah license plates and a postage stamp commemorating Utah's centennial anniversary of admission to the Union in 1996. The Olympic torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch.

History

Delicate Arch and adjacent large panhole at sunset, February 2011

Because of its distinctive shape, the arch was known as "the Chaps" and "the Schoolmarm's Bloomers" by local cowboys. Many other names have been applied to this arch including "Bloomers Arch", "Marys Bloomers", "Old Maids Bloomers", "Pants Crotch", "Salt Wash Arch", and "School Marms Pants". The arch was given its current name by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934. Although there is a rumor that the names of Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch were inadvertently exchanged due to a signage mixup by the National Park Service (NPS), this is false.

This arch played no part in the original designation of the area as a national monument (Arches National Monument) in 1929, and was not included within the original boundaries; it was added when the monument was enlarged in 1938.

In the 1950s, the NPS investigated the possibility of applying a clear plastic coating to the arch to protect it from further erosion and eventual destruction. The idea was ultimately abandoned as impractical and contrary to NPS principles.

Geology

Delicate Arch is formed of Entrada Sandstone. The original sandstone fin was gradually worn away by weathering and erosion, leaving the arch. Other arches in the park were formed the same way but, due to placement and less dramatic shape, are not as famous.

Ecology

During the summer, white-throated swifts (Aeronautes saxatalis) nest in the top of the arch.

See also

In Spanish: Arco Delicado para niños