Landscape Arch Named Longest In World

There has been a long-standing debate, whether Landscape Arch (in Arches National Park) or Kolob Arch (in Zion National Park) is the world's biggest.

In this AP article, researchers say they have an answer. Below are excerpts.

Utah state geologists and a group of intrepid volunteers say they've finally answered a nagging geological question: What's the longest natural arch in the world?

The answer, they say, is Landscape Arch in Arches National Park in southeastern Utah.

Of course, it all depends on how you measure it. But members of the all-volunteer Natural Arch and Bridge Society spent years developing a standardized measurement that looks at the widest horizontal opening in each arch — not the arch itself.

Using that yardstick, they found that Landscape Arch spanned about 290 feet. Kolob Arch in Zion National Park came in at 3 feet shorter.