Natural arch
Encyclopedia
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until the rock shelter
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
s thus formed meet underneath the ridge, thus forming the arch. Natural arches commonly form where cliffs are subject to erosion from the sea, rivers or weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
(subaerial
Subaerial
The term subaerial is mainly used in geology to describe events or structures that are located at the Earth's surface...
processes); the processes "find" weaknesses in rocks and work on them, making them larger until they break through.
The choice between bridge and arch is somewhat arbitrary. The Natural Arch and Bridge Society identifies a bridge as a subtype of arch that is primarily water-formed. By contrast, the Dictionary of Geological Terms defines a natural bridge as a "natural arch that spans a valley of erosion."
Coastline
On coasts two different types of arches can form depending on the geology. On discordant coastlineDiscordant coastline
A discordant coastline occurs where bands of differing rock type run perpendicular to the coast.The differing resistance to erosion leads to the formation of headlands and bays...
s rock types run at 90° to the coast. Wave refraction
Wave
In physics, a wave is a disturbance that travels through space and time, accompanied by the transfer of energy.Waves travel and the wave motion transfers energy from one point to another, often with no permanent displacement of the particles of the medium—that is, with little or no associated mass...
concentrates the wave energy on the headland, and an arch forms when cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s break through the headland, e.g., London Bridge
London Arch
London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia.The arch is one of the tourist attractions along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria...
in (Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia). When these eventually collapse, they form stacks
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
and stumps. On concordant coastline
Concordant coastline
A concordant, longitudinal, or Pacific type coastline occurs where beds, or layers, of differing rock types are folded into ridges that run parallel to the coast. The outer hard rock provides a protective barrier to erosion of the softer rocks further inland...
s rock types run parallel to the coastline, with weak rock (such as shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
) protected by stronger rock (such as limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
) the wave action breaks through the strong rock and then erodes the weak rock very quickly. Good examples of this are at Durdle Door
Durdle Door
Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Welds, a family who own in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public...
and Stair Hole near Lulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a tourist location with over 1 million visitors a year...
on the Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
in south England, although these are on an area of concordant coastline
Concordant coastline
A concordant, longitudinal, or Pacific type coastline occurs where beds, or layers, of differing rock types are folded into ridges that run parallel to the coast. The outer hard rock provides a protective barrier to erosion of the softer rocks further inland...
. When Stair Hole eventually collapses, it will form a cove
Cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often inside a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are often considered coves...
.
Weather-eroded arches
- Deep cracks penetrate into a sandstone layer.
- Erosion wears away exposed rock layers and enlarges the surface cracks, isolating narrow sandstone walls, or fins.
- Alternating frosts and thawing cause crumbling and flaking of the porous sandstone and eventually cut through some of the fins.
- The resulting holes become enlarged to arch proportions by rockfalls and weathering. Arches eventually collapse, leaving only buttresses that in time will erode.
- Many of these arches are found within Arches National ParkArches National ParkArches National Park is a U.S. National Park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations....
and Rainbow Bridge National MonumentRainbow Bridge National MonumentRainbow Bridge National Monument is administered by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, southern Utah, USA. Rainbow Bridge is often described as the world's highest natural bridge. The span of Rainbow Bridge was reported in 1974 by the Bureau of Reclamation to be , but a laser measurement in...
in Utah.
Water-eroded arches
Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about north west of the Four Corners boundary of southeast Utah, in the western United States, at the junction of White Canyon and Armstrong Canyon, part of the Colorado River drainage...
in Utah is another area to view several natural bridges.
Cave erosion
Natural bridges can form from natural limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, where paired sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s collapse and a ridge of stone is left standing in between, with the cave passageway connecting from sinkhole to sinkhole.
Like all rock formations, natural bridges are subject to continued erosion, and will eventually collapse and disappear. One example of this was the double-arched Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n coastal rock formation, London Bridge
London Arch
London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia.The arch is one of the tourist attractions along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria...
, which lost an arch after storms increased erosion.
Arches as highways
In a few places in the world, natural arches are truly natural bridges because there are roads running across them. Two such arches are found in Kentucky. One, a cave erosion arch made of limestone is located in Carter Caves State ParkCarter Caves State Resort Park
Carter Caves State Resort Park is located in Carter County, Kentucky, United States, along Tygarts Creek. It is formed by Carter Caves, and nearby Cascade Caves, which were added to the park in 1959. On December 16, 1981, of the park were designated as nature preserves...
and it has a paved road on top. Another, a weather-eroded sandstone arch with a dirt road on top is located on the edge of Natural Bridge State Resort Park
Natural Bridge State Park (Kentucky)
Natural Bridge State Resort Park is a Kentucky state park located in Powell and Wolfe Counties along the Middle Fork of the Red River, adjacent to the Red River Gorge Geologic Area and surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest. Its namesake natural bridge is the centerpiece of the park. The...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. It is called White's Branch Arch (also known as the Narrows) and the road going over it is usually referred to as the Narrows Road.
The third one is found in Ponoarele village, in Romania. It is 60 m long, 13 m wide, features a stone arch 4 m thick, 20 m high, with a 9 m span. It is called God's Bridge (Podul lui Dumnezeu) and it is the only one in the world effectively used for traffic.
Notable natural arches
Anacapa IslandAnacapa Island
Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about off the coast of Port Hueneme, California, in Ventura County. The Island is composed of a series of narrow islets six miles long, running in a mostly east-west orientation, five miles east of Santa Cruz Island...
, Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park
- External links :* Official site: * *...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA Arch Creek Historic and Archeological Site, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA Arches National Park
Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a U.S. National Park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations....
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA Ayres Natural Bridge State Park
Ayres Natural Bridge State Park
Ayres Natural Bridge Park is a county park in Converse County, Wyoming in the United States. It occupies 150 acres between the towns Glenrock and Douglas about 6 kilometers south of Interstate 25 exit 151...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, USA Azure Window
Azure Window
The Azure Window is a natural arch in the Maltese island of Gozo featuring a table-like rock over the sea. It is situated near two other famous natural landmarks - the Inland Sea, and Dwejra Bay. The stunning geography of the area was created thousands of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed...
, Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, Malta Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA Castell de Castells
Castell de Castells
Castell de Castells is a small village high in the mountains of the Marina Alta on the Costa Blanca in southeastern Spain. The village is at the source of the Rio Jalón and surrounded by mountains. It is approximately 12 km from the nearest village of Benigembla, and 20 km from Jalón,...
, Spain Creelsboro Natural Bridge
Creelsboro Natural Bridge
Creelsboro Natural Bridge is a natural bridge in southwestern Russell County, Kentucky, USA . It is located near the community of Creelsboro, approximately seven miles downstream from Wolf Creek Dam, which impounds Lake Cumberland...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End, Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas,which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula....
, Mexico Engetsu-tō, Shirahama, Wakayama
Shirahama, Wakayama
is a town located in Nishimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.On March 1, 2006 the town of Hikigawa, from Nishimuro District, was merged into Shirahama....
, Japan Étretat
Étretat
Étretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is a tourist and farming town situated c. 32 km northeast of Le Havre, at the junction of the D940, D11 and D139 roads. It's located on the coast of the Pays de Caux area.-The...
, France God's bridge
God's Bridge
God's Bridge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Teesdale district of south-west County Durham, England. It is a natural limestone bridge over the River Greta, just over 3 km upstream from the village of Bowes....
, Ponoarele
Ponoarele
Ponoarele is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of fifteen villages: Băluţa, Bârâiacu, Brânzeni, Buicani, Ceptureni, Cracu Muntelui, Delureni, Gărdăneasa, Gheorgheşti, Ludu, Ponoarele, Proiteşti, Răiculeşti, Şipotu and Valea Ursului....
, Mehedinţi, Romania Goat Rock Beach
Goat Rock Beach
Goat Rock Beach is a sand beach in northwestern Sonoma County, California, United States.This landform is a sub-unit of Sonoma Coast State Beach, owned and managed by the State of California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA Grosvenor Arch
Grosvenor Arch
Grosvenor Arch is a unique sandstone double arch located within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. It is named to honor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor , a president of the National Geographic Society, publishers of the National Geographic Magazine.Located in northern Kane...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA Kolob Arch
Kolob Arch
Kolob Arch is a natural arch in Zion National Park, Utah.The Natural Arch and Bridge Society considers Kolob Arch to be the second longest natural arch in the world. In 2006, the Society measured the span at 287.4 ± 2 feet , which is slightly shorter than the Landscape Arch in Arches National Park...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant is a village in Powys, mid Wales. Population 1,470 , Welsh-speaking 65% .The village is best known as the former parish of William Morgan, then a vicar who first translated the Bible into Welsh and later rose to become a Bishop at Llandaff Cathedral and St...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK Natural Bridge, Alabama
Natural Bridge, Alabama
Natural Bridge is a town at the southwest edge of Winston County, Alabama, United States, located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 and Alabama Highway 13. The population was 28 at the 2000 census...
, USA Natural Bridge Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns are the largest known commercial caverns in the state of Texas.The name was derived from the 20 m natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA Natural Bridge State Park
Natural Bridge State Park (Kentucky)
Natural Bridge State Resort Park is a Kentucky state park located in Powell and Wolfe Counties along the Middle Fork of the Red River, adjacent to the Red River Gorge Geologic Area and surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest. Its namesake natural bridge is the centerpiece of the park. The...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA Natural Bridge State Park
Natural Bridge State Park (Massachusetts)
Natural Bridge State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in North Adams, Massachusetts, in the northwestern part of the state. It contains the only natural white marble arch/bridge in North America...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA Natural Bridge, Virginia
Natural Bridge (Virginia)
Natural Bridge, known as Natty B by locals, in the eponymous Rockbridge County, Virginia is a geological formation in which Cedar Creek has carved out a gorge in the mountainous limestone terrain, forming an arch 215 ft high with a span of 90 ft...
, USA Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about north west of the Four Corners boundary of southeast Utah, in the western United States, at the junction of White Canyon and Armstrong Canyon, part of the Colorado River drainage...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA Natural Bridges State Beach
Natural Bridges State Beach
Natural Bridges State Beach is a California state park in Santa Cruz, California in the United States. The park features a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA Natural Arch, Tirumala hills
Natural Arch, Tirumala hills
Natural Arch, Tirumala hills is a distinctive geological wonder located North of the Tirumala hills temple, near the Chakra Teertham in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India...
- Tirumala, India Hazarchishma Natural Bridge
Hazarchishma Natural Bridge
Hazarchishma Natural Bridge is a natural arch located in central Afghanistan, and world's 12th largest natural bridge. The bridge spans 64.2 meters across its base, and its elevation is 3,100 meters above sea level; making it one of the highest large natural bridges in the world...
, Bamiyan
Bamiyan Province
Bamyan Province is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is also called Bamyan. The majority of the population are Hazaras, with 16% Sadat, 15% Tajiks, and Pashtuns and Tatars in smaller numbers...
, Afghanistan Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades, Brazil Percé Rock
Percé Rock
Percé Rock is a huge sheer rock formation in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, off Percé Bay. Percé Rock appears from a distance like a ship under sail. It is one of the world's largest natural arches located in water and is considered a natural icon...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada Pont d'Arc
Pont d'Arc
The Pont d'Arc is a large natural bridge, located in the Ardèche département in the south of France, near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc....
, France Pravčická brána, Czech Republic Punarjani Guha
Punarjani Guha
Punarjani Guha is a natural tunnel 150 meters long in a rocky cliff in Thrissur district of Kerala state, south India. Punarjani Guha is situated 2 kilometres from the Thiruvilwamala Temple where the chief presiding deity is Sri Rama. The idol is believed to be ‘swayamboo’ i.e. born on its own...
- natural tunnel, India Rainbow Cave (actually an arch) in the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
Jebel Kharaz (Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
) Rattlesnake Canyon
Rattlesnake Canyon (Colorado)
Rattlesnake Canyon is a scenic area within the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness which in turn forms the core of the Bureau of Land Management administered McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area in west central Colorado. The canyon contains 9 natural arches, the second highest concentration of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, USA Rock Bridge of Gulanchwadi, Narayangaon Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India Senkanmatsu-shima, Iwami, Tottori
Iwami, Tottori
is a town located in Iwami District, Tottori, Japan.-Geography:Located in eastern Tottori, Iwami faces the Sea of Japan to the north. As of March 1, 2008, the town has an estimated population of 12,827 and a density of 105 persons per km². The total area is 122.38 km²...
, Japan Sewanee Natural Bridge
Sewanee Natural Bridge
Sewanee Natural Bridge in Franklin County, Tennessee, is a 25 feet high natural sandstone arch with a span of 50 feet . It is essentially a giant sinkhole partially eroded to form a large stone bridge. A wet weather spring located behind the bridge in a rock cave probably contributed to the ...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, USA Shipton's Arch
Shipton's Arch
Shipton's Arch, and , meaning Heavenly Gate in Chinese, is a conglomerate natural arch, located to the West-northwest of Kashgar, in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.This is probably the world's tallest natural arch...
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is a national park at Springbrook on the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, , 96 km south of Brisbane. It is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the World Heritage site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia Tassili n'Ajjer
Tassili n'Ajjer
Tassili n'Ajjer is a mountain range in the Algerian section of the Sahara Desert. It is a vast plateau in south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, covering an area of 72,000 sq...
- National Park in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
with many arches Tonto Natural Bridge
Tonto Natural Bridge
Tonto Natural Bridge is a natural arch in Arizona, USA, that is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The area surrounding the bridge has been made into a state park called Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, which is located off State Route 87, just north of Payson...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, USA Tukuyu
Tukuyu
Tukuyu is a small, of 50,000 inhabitants, hillside town that lies about south of the city of Mbeya, at an elevation of around in the highland Rungwe District of southern Tanzania, East Africa. The local language is colloquial Nyakyusa together with the national language Swahili. Secondary and...
natural bridge, Tanzania