Collapse of arch raises concern about potential risks to others

Geology experts say human activity has sped up erosion

- HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

Delicate Arch, the most widely recognized of Utah's more than 6,000 natural arches, in Arches National Park near Moab.

A common line of questions has emerged from visitors to Utah’s Arches National Park in the week since an iconic rock arch at Lake Powell known as the “Toilet Bowl” collapsed.

Are these arches also at risk of falling soon? What are you doing to prevent their collapse?

The answers: They might be, and nothing, said Karen Garthwait, spokesperson for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

“Our mission is not to freeze time and preserve these structures exactly as they are,” she said. “Our mission is to preserve the natural processes that create these structures, which of course, is the same process that will eventually undo them as well.”