Double O Arch storm composite, Devil’s Garden, Arches National Park, Utah, USA. (Photo Credit: Michael Atman)
Have you ever wondered at the peculiar form of sandstones in places like the Arches National Park in the USA? In a new study, researchers explain how these stable pillar-like landforms emerge from sand through erosion alone.
They conducted experiments in their lab and ran through numerical simulation to understand how the brittle sandstone could become resistant to erosion once put under enough mechanical stress from gravity pressing on the rocks.
Additional images available.
Original research paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience on July 20, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
