Spectacles In Stone!

Another CLASSIC from the "Windows Section" of UT's Arches National Park. After my first visit during a high school (geology) field trip in 1974, I eventually returned to Arches (earlier this year) for some fun in the sun. This is South Window and North Window from the east, also known collectively as "The Spectacles." If you imagine the NPS folks installing a "tinted lens" inside the two openings of each arch, then these formations would resemble SUNGLASSES. The North and South Windows are considered mature arches, so please don't mind the wrinkles in them. South Window (left) is the larger of the two Windows, with a 105ft span and height of 65ft. It's the THIRD largest arch in the Park. North Window is 51ft high and 93ft wide. Together with South Window, when seen at the same time, they are known as "The Spectacles." And ... the rock mass between the two is referred to as Nose Bridge, for the analogous part of a pair of glasses. April 26, 2009