Not being a geologist, I can't get very technical but it just went kaboom

August 10, 2008 12:01 PM

Wall Arch in Utah's Arches National Park has collapsed.

Other notable collapses in recent years:

• London Bridge, Victoria, Australia (collapsed January 1990)
• Old Man of the Mountain, Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire (collapsed May 2003)
• One of the Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia (collapsed July 2005)
• Natural Bridge in Aruba (collapsed September 2005)
• El Dedo de Dios, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (collapsed November 2005)
• Turret of Miner's Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan (collapsed April 2006)

posted by Knappster (36 comments total)

According to Wikipedia, 43 have collapsed since 1970, and there are still more than 2000 left. Nevertheless:

.
posted by imperium at 12:07 PM on August 10, 2008

And the Republican neglect of America's infrastructure continues to take its toll.
posted by Kwantsar at 12:09 PM on August 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

And the Republican neglect of America's infrastructure continues to take its toll.

Because people being killed because of said neglect is comedy gold.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:20 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

the flattened corpse of a coyote was found underneath the rocks nearby some roadrunner tracks; investigators are considering the possibility of fowl play
posted by pyramid termite at 12:22 PM on August 10, 2008 [28 favorites]

According to Wikipedia, 43 have collapsed since 1970, and there are still more than 2000 left

How many more collapsed before we started counting?

While some of these are collapsing because of vandalism or human impact, I feel a lot of the lose is felt because we now document them, put them on maps, and expect these natural formations to always be there.

Well, they aren't. Rivers flood, sand bars shift, mountains erode, rock bridges collapse. And now we are seeing things documented by our ancestors start to disappear, and the loss of permanence is disturbing.

I mean, the grand canyon wasn't always the grand canyon, the Appalachian mounts of millions of years ago would have dwarfed the Rockies. Long Island is believed to be result of glacial deposits.

So the earth changes, but over such a huge timeline that there is very little chance of someone actually being around to document it, but it does happen. Now that we can document things faster and more frequently, we may starting seeing the smaller changes happening faster than ever before. It may not mean that things are changing faster, we are just getting more finer samples and a more accurate graph of the change.

also, i am not implying that humans do not have an impact re: global warming
posted by mrzarquon at 12:25 PM on August 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

Is "went kaboom" the technical term now?
posted by jokeefe at 12:29 PM on August 10, 2008

The photograph makes the arch look much smaller then it actually is. If I remember correctly from my visit there last month that very arch was open to the public at one point then part of it collapsed likely due to the influx of people walking about it. When I was there, access was closed and you could only view it from a distance. So maybe the park authority were anticipating it.
posted by ageispolis at 12:48 PM on August 10, 2008

Gravity happens.
posted by absalom at 12:50 PM on August 10, 2008

Things fall apart.
posted by Daddy-O at 12:57 PM on August 10, 2008

aww. kaboom. That seems sad. I know it's gravity and everything. But it's gone. The Old Man of the Mountain collapse was a shock. As my dad, a geologist, would say with a twinkle. "C'est gone."

Two songs to commemorate the event, Gravity (sung by Tom Glazer and Dottie Evans) and The Face Of The Earth Is Changing (sung by Marais and Miranda).
posted by nickyskye at 12:57 PM on August 10, 2008

I'm afraid his explanation went way over my head - or, wait, no it isn't, not anymore! I'm so confused....
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:01 PM on August 10, 2008

So, if an arch falls and no one sees it, does it make a sound?
posted by beagle at 1:07 PM on August 10, 2008

God damn global warming.

(Because the catastrophic transformation of the planetary ecosystem is comedy gold, yes, yes).
posted by nanojath at 1:22 PM on August 10, 2008

the center can not hold
posted by edgeways at 1:23 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

arch-anarchy is loosed upon the world
posted by isopraxis at 1:51 PM on August 10, 2008

Oh well, at least our best known arch up here in Canada probably still has a few bazillion years left before we have to worry about it.
posted by Mike D at 1:53 PM on August 10, 2008

This is obviously the work of an arch-villain.
posted by The Bellman at 1:54 PM on August 10, 2008 [8 favorites]

One down, millions to go.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:02 PM on August 10, 2008

The Natural Arch and Bridge Society
posted by milkrate at 2:03 PM on August 10, 2008

I was there a week and a half ago and I walked underneath it, so they definitely weren't anticipating anything at the time. I also contemplated walking across it, but it seemed a little sketchy from up above.

Rest in peace, Wall Arch.
posted by Dr. Send at 2:05 PM on August 10, 2008

On closer inspection, ageispolis, you may be thinking of Landscape Arch.
posted by Dr. Send at 2:09 PM on August 10, 2008

So sad. I used to live in Moab and walked past this amazing arch at least once a week. It's right on the trail through Devil's Garden (one of the most spectacular trails in the world, in my opinion) and took heavy traffic, as tourists could walk up into it if they so pleased (and many did). I always assumed I would be able to make my kids down that trail to see Wall Arch...alas.

This country is, quite literally, falling apart.


On another note, Ageispolis -

Dr. Send is right. You are thinking of Landscape Arch, which they have recently reopened. A good chunk of landscape arch collapsed a few years ago, and it remains rather fragile.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:45 PM on August 10, 2008

Where do rocks go when they die?
posted by XMLicious at 3:24 PM on August 10, 2008

I was at home all night.
posted by goatdog at 3:25 PM on August 10, 2008

If a rock falls in the night and no one is there to see it, is goatdog guilty?
posted by stbalbach at 3:38 PM on August 10, 2008

oh Wall Arch we love you get up
posted by pracowity at 3:50 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

Delicate Arch at sunset was one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen.

And underneath it, yes it is a cliff.
posted by clearly at 4:01 PM on August 10, 2008

it's always sad when something magnificent goes away.

.
posted by msconduct at 4:17 PM on August 10, 2008

This one in Nova Scotia fell some years ago, but its picture is still used in the tourist literature. It currently looks like the fifth picture down on this page.

Many of these arches, if they're in marble or limestone, are remnants of collapsed caves.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:30 PM on August 10, 2008

Geez, it was only a few months ago that I hiked underneath this thing with my family-- is there any advance warning when these things are planning to collapse?
posted by drstrangelove at 4:54 PM on August 10, 2008

Anybody know Dean Potter's whereabouts at the time?
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 5:17 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, he has an alibi this time - he was doing an insane 'BASE solo' of a route on the Eiger in Switzerland.
posted by Flashman at 5:55 PM on August 10, 2008

.

I'm glad it was in the middle of the night so no one got hurt.
posted by grouse at 9:27 PM on August 10, 2008

Although I find these phrases kinda kitsch, here it is anyways.

MetaFilter: it just went kaboom!
posted by Vindaloo at 5:36 AM on August 11, 2008

"is there any advance warning when these things are planning to collapse? "

Consider yourself warned!! They are ALL going to collapse.......eventually
posted by Megafly at 12:51 PM on August 11, 2008

Death, taxes and the collapse of naturally formed stone arches.
posted by GuyZero at 2:34 PM on August 11, 2008