The Toilet Bowl is no more. From a NYT article, here, and below.
A popular double arch that hung over the turquoise waters of Lake Powell in Utah’s portion of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area collapsed on Thursday, officials said.
The National Park Service confirmed the collapse in a statement on Friday, noting that the arch was a frequently visited attraction and had been known to park-goers over the years as the Toilet Bowl, the Crescent Pool, the Hole in the Roof and the Double Arch.
The geologic feature was formed from 190 million-year-old Navajo sandstone, park officials said. The elements had eroded away the fine-grained sand structure over the years and caused fragments to break off, officials said.
“Changing water levels and erosion from wave action is suspected of contributing to the ultimate collapse of the arch,” the park said in a statement.
Michelle Kerns, the park’s superintendent, said that although the cause of the collapse was unknown, the doomed arch was a reminder of the need to protect mineral resources surrounding the lake.
“These features have a life span that can be influenced by man-made interventions,” she said.
News of the collapse began to spread in online hiking and outdoors circles on Friday, with many visitors lamenting the sudden end to what appeared to have been an unyielding fixture of geology.
“RIP to the Lake Powell Toilet Bowl,” one person posted on TikTok in a video montage showing past trips to the arch, including clips of people diving and somersaulting into the water from the rim above.
The arch was in the Rock Creek Bay area of Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles southern Utah and northern Arizona, officials said.
Home to the iconic Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, the site is among the most visited national parks. Last year, a record 5.2 million people visited.