Sandstone structures form without cement

Weighed-down sand interlocks into rock-hard arrangement, allowing spectacular formations

SAND SCULPTURE  Sandstone arches such as the 22-meter-long Double O Arch in Utah’s Arches National Park form without chemical glue. Instead, downward forces cause sand grains to interlock.

Michael Atman

Gravity, not glue, allows towering sandstone pillars and arches to withstand howling wind and pouring rain, researchers propose July 20 in Nature Geoscience.