精致拱门, 拱门国家公园, 犹他州, 美国 Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah (© mmac72/Getty Images)

大自然的耐心之作 Nature took its time

精致拱门, 拱门国家公园, 犹他州, 美国

这片景观并非一朝一夕形成，而是大自然历经漫长岁月的雕琢之作。你在美国犹他州拱门国家公园所见的一切，是3亿多年间地壳抬升、风化与侵蚀共同作用的结果。这些天然拱门最初由古海洋遗留下的盐层构成，在时间推移中，砂岩层开裂、位移并不断风化，最终形成了超过2000座天然拱门。这些地貌主要由恩特拉达砂岩与纳瓦霍砂岩构成。该地区于1929年被认定为国家纪念地，并于1971年正式升格为国家公园。

其中最著名的拱门，便是今日图像所展示的精致拱门。它是美国西南部最具代表性的天然拱门之一。早期曾被称为“马裤”或“盐溪拱门”，直到1930年代，一次科学考察团队将其描述为“外观精致”，从而得名“精致拱门”。如今，精致拱门已成为犹他州的非官方象征，频繁出现在该州车牌、广告宣传，甚至印在1996年为纪念犹他建州百年而发行的美国邮票上。前往精致拱门需完成一段中等难度的徒步路线，途中需攀登光滑岩面，贴近悬崖边缘前行。无论你是地质爱好者，还是寻求壮丽自然景观的旅行者，这座拱门都将为你带来难以忘怀的震撼体验。

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah

This landscape wasn't built overnight—nature took its time to craft it. What you see at Arches National Park in Utah, is the result of over 300 million years of erosion, uplift, and weathering. Over time, layers of sandstone cracked, shifted, and slowly wore away, revealing more than 2,000 natural arches. The formations are made mostly of Entrada and Navajo sandstone. The area was recognized as a national monument in 1929 and was upgraded to national park status in 1971.

The distinctive shape of Delicate Arch, seen here, has made it one of the most recognizable natural arches in the Southwest. Originally known by several other names—including the Chaps and Salt Wash Arch—it wasn't officially called Delicate Arch until the 1930s. It is Utah's unofficial mascot, appearing on everything from state license plates to a US postage stamp issued in 1996 to mark 100 years of Utah statehood. The arch is accessible via a moderately difficult hike that climbs over bare rock and skirts steep drop-offs. Whether you're a geology enthusiast or simply looking for a view worth the effort, Delicate Arch delivers.

标签: 美国, 犹他, 拱门