Park rangers have proposed that changing water levels coupled with an increase in erosion contributed to the demise of the structure, leaving many to question whether humans have a direct effect on its destruction.

A vast portion of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area also runs throughout Utah. The recreation area covers an estimated 1.25 million acres and provides visitors with scenic views, fascinating geological features, and a plethora of other natural treasures.

This frequently visited geological wonder, also known as “The Hole in the Roof,” has caught the attention of all who wander through the recreation area, with many stopping to take pictures of it.

According to a statement from the National Park Service, the event occurred on August 8, 2024. While they are uncertain as to why the geological feature collapsed, they did report that no one was injured during the event.

The artificial reservoir has had a particularly challenging few years, and severe droughts have drastically lowered the water levels on several occasions.

“These features have a life span that can be influenced or damaged by manmade interventions,” she said in a statement.

Moore and colleagues have been studying numerous arches throughout Arches National Park for over a decade. Regarding the demise of the Double Arch in Glen Canyon, he said it was “a natural process in the life span of an arch.”

“All our arches go through a life cycle,” he said. “That has nothing to do with years. It has to do with the progress of the arch… Certainly, Double Arch was old-aged.”

Moore defined the Double Arch as an erosional sculpture” by nature. “They form through erosional processes, and once formed in small increments and small moments, they enlarge and sculpt,” he said. “Sometimes, this sculpture leads to the formation of naturally strong arches, and sometimes it does not.”

“Those that can, by chance of luck, form into these strong lintels, they survive a longer time than those that form into a less strong geometry,” he said. The Toilet Bowl arch had a lintel with a flatter line, which is “not a particularly ideal form for an arch.”

“In essence, none of what we do can be helpful for the structural integrity of an arch,” he said. He added human interference may have resulted in “cumulative effects over decades.”

“These arches are almost always at a critical state of stability. Even though its evolution is slow on our human time scale, there they are actively forming and changing. It might have taken 10,000 years to achieve this form. And so, in some cases, I think it’s really lucky that we are able to be here at that moment,” he said.