The Story Written in Delicate Arch
A huge red-orange arch stands alone against the sky, with open space beneath its curved top. It looks almost like a giant stone doorway, but no builders put it there. Delicate Arch was shaped by natural forces acting on sandstone over a very long time.
The arch stands in Arches National Park in eastern Utah, near the town of Moab. It is not in Zion National Park, another Utah park known for its towering sandstone cliffs and deep canyons. Arches National Park has more than 2,000 documented natural stone arches, and Delicate Arch is among its best-known landmarks.
Delicate Arch is freestanding, which means it stands apart from the surrounding rock rather than being attached to a cliff. Its opening is about 46 feet high and 32 feet wide. The arch rises from a rocky high-desert landscape, where summers can be hot, winters can be cold, and rain is often scarce. Even in this dry place, water has played an important part in shaping the rock.
The sandstone in the arch formed from sand deposited long ago. Over time, layers of sand were buried, squeezed, and cemented together into rock. Later, forces within the Earth helped lift and crack the rock layers. Long, narrow walls of sandstone, called fins, remained in some places as surrounding rock wore away.
- deposited:
- Left or placed in a particular area.
- cemented:
- Joined together by a material that hardens.
- expand:
- To become larger or take up more space.
- runoff:
- Water that flows over the land.
- fragile:
- Easily damaged or harmed.
- scarce:
- Not available in large amounts.
- collapse:
- To fall down because it can no longer support its weight.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two natural processes support it?
- 2How did loose sand become the sandstone found in Delicate Arch?
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About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
“The Story Written in Delicate Arch” is a informational reading passage about Geology, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (482 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.