This scenery was not formed overnight — Nature took its sweet time to create these marvels. These images from the Arches National Park in Utah, USA, show the end result of almost 300 million years of erosion, uplift, and weathering. Over time, layers of sandstone cracked, moved, and wore away, revealing almost 2,000 natural arches, composed mostly of Entrada and Navajo sandstone. These natural arches were formed from the salt beds left behind by long gone oceans from the past. This park was designated as a national monument in 1929, and elevated to national park status in 1971.

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