The Grand Canyon is considered the deadliest national park, with the highest number of missing persons, deaths and even suicides from 2018 through the first two months of this year. FOX Weather’s Max Gorden reports.
A popular rock formation in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area collapsed on Thursday.
The National Park Service said the Double Arch at Lake Powell is a popular visitor attraction and is sometimes referred to as the Toilet Bowl, Crescent Pool and Hole in the Roof.
The NPS determined that the arch was formed from 190 million-year-old Navajo Sandstone, which dates from the late Triassic to early Jurassic periods.
The structure was subject to natural erosion by weather, wind and rain, but falling water levels may also have played a role in the collapse.
“This event reminds us of our responsibility and need to protect the natural resources surrounding Lake Powell,” Michelle Kerns, manager of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, said in a statement. “These features have a lifespan that can be impacted or damaged by human activity.”
Arch collapse in Rock Creek Bay in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
(National Park Service / FOX Weather)
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Staff gave no indication that other similar formations on the 1.2 million-hectare site could be in immediate danger.
The area is home to Lake Powell, the second largest man-made reservoir in the country, created by the famous Glen Canyon Dam.
The dam provides electricity and drinking water to millions of people in the southwest, but a mega-drought and a population boom have led to scarce resources.
The drop in water levels in recent years has uncovered boat remains and even human remains that had disappeared over the decades.
Although NPS officials said they do not yet know for sure whether water levels were the cause, the investigation is continuing.
“While we do not know what caused this collapse, we will continue our efforts to protect Lake Powell’s resources so that future generations can benefit,” Kerns said.
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Over 3 million people visit the site each year and are home to thousands of archaeological wonders.
The area offers opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, hiking and even camping, with temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees in the summer.
An active monsoon pattern can also cause extreme weather conditions in the summer and early fall, including flooding, gusty winds and dangerous lightning.
No one was injured in the collapse.
