|
|
|
The Natural Bridge
|
Over millions of years nature constructed this monument. The arch is composed of solid grey limestone. It is 215 high, 40 feet thick, 100 feet wide, and spans 90 feet between the massive walls. The span contains 450,000 cubic feet of rock. If man had scales to weigh it, the mass would balance 72,000,000 pounds or 36,000 tons. The rocks that compose the bridge are early Ordovician, about 500 million years old. The internal forms of these rocks, that fold and break in layers, were imposed on them during the Appalachian Mountain building process toward the end of the Paleozoic Era more than 200 million years ago. At its highest point the bridge is 1160 above sea level.
This was nature's working material. Her tool, Cedar Creek. A simple mountain stream flowing towards the sea. With these Nature achieved her miracle. She painted her masterpiece with dull red, ochre, soft shades of yellow and cream, delicate tracings of blueish-grey.
Monacan Indian legend has it that Natural Bridge appeared just as they needed to escape from an advancing enemy.
In 1998, Natural Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark by the US Department of the Interior.
Source: Park Sign
|
|
