Fill yourself up...

What do cumulus clouds and rock sculptures carved from water, ice, extreme temperatures and underground salt movement have in common?

While driving through Utah, we came upon Arches National Park. Over 2000 arches along with spires(tapering features such as the continuation of a tree trunk above the point where branching begins), pinnacles (high, pointed pieces of rock) and balanced rocks can be seen here.
The park sits on top of an underground salt bed that was left millions of years ago when a sea eventually evaporated.
Over time debris from floods, wind and the oceans blanketed the salt bed. The debris compressed into rock.
Salt under pressure is unstable and could not hold up the rock, so over time it has sunk, buckled, shifted and liquefied forming the formations we saw. The formations are made of salmon colored sandstone and Navajo sandstone which is white or yellow.
The arches have formed by water seeping into the cracks and joints, freezing, expanding and then pressuring the rock to break off in pieces. Wind cleaned out loose sand particles leaving freestanding "fins". Wind and water than eroded the insides of these "fins" leaving arches.
Pinyon and Juniper trees pop up throughout the stone environment as well as wildflowers.
This is a fragile desert environment. Though baron looking, I have learned that the sands and minimal plant life work together to form "soil crusts" that prevent erosion, absorb water and provide minerals and nutrients to all that live there. Residents of this park are mule deer, fox, jack rabbits and cotton tails, kangaroo rats. Blue Pinyon Jays, Mountain Bluebirds and Golden Eagles also frequent here.

Another gem in our beautiful country! If you are ever in Utah, take the time to stop at this amazing place. I cant wait to create and teach a desert unit to our second graders. The sandstone arches fit right in with our earth materials and land form curriculum!

So.....what do clouds and sandstone rocks have in common? If you look at them with an open mind, they begin to look like things that are familiar to you.
See is the rocks in these pictures form images in your mind.