Falling Stone Arches and the Genesis Flood

A common attraction for geologists and tourists is Arches National Park in Utah, which has thousands of stone arches. It may be surprising to some people to learn that such arches exist around the world, and Kentucky has a passel of them itself. Take a trip to the Daniel Boone National Forest and Red River Gorge to see some.

There are many arches in the formerly United States, but not all are the big ones. Some are on the small side. What is more interesting is that some have been collapsing.

Skybridge arch - Red River Gorge, Wikimedia Commons / Smokemob (CC BY 3.0)

Secular scientists say that stone arches last thousands of years and then fall. Interestingly, people seemed to think the arches would last indefinitely. To be standing on one when it collapsed could spoil a day. Certain arches are actively monitored to see if they are becoming dangerous.

There are two articles to consider in this post, the first being shorter and more general. Take a look-see at "The Age of Arches," but be sure to come back for the newer article.

While secularists claim that arches not only collapse, but new ones form. Formation of arches is another fact-free statement by believers in deep time because there is no evidence of that happening. It is curious that the arches in Kentucky are not falling nearly as much as the Utah arches, even though there is weathering and erosion in both places (among other places, obviously). The composition of the arches is not identical, nor are the materials that cement the arches.

Biblical creationists believe that the arches formed from geological processes just after the Genesis Flood. Doing calculations using collapse rates (as well as a few assumptions that those are constant), the timeline fits the Flood.

Several friends and colleagues sent me links to news accounts of the collapse of Double Arch in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on August 8. There have been similar collapses of arches in nearby Arches National Park, such as Wall Arch in 2019 and Rainbow Arch in 2018. It’s difficult to get good statistics on the rate at which Utah is losing arches. An article published in 2000 said that since 1971, at least 43 arches in the park had collapsed. Why did the article say, “at least 43 arches” have collapsed over those 29 years? Arches National Park has at least 2,000 arches, but the exact count is not known. Visitors to the park are familiar with the large arches, but most of the arches are small. We can be assured that all the large arches have been found, but some small arches have escaped discovery. People notice when large or otherwise well-known arches collapse. However, many small arches (some unknown) probably have collapsed, but no one noticed. Therefore, we can consider the collapse of 43 arches in 29 years a conservative loss rate.

To read the rest (don't let the math part scare you off), click on "How Long Have Arches Been Around?" You may also like "Collapsing Arches Make Darwin Sad."