PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — A large geological feature in southern Utah known as the “Double Arch,” the “Hole in the Roof” and sometimes the “Toilet Bowl” has collapsed, National Park Service officials said Friday. No injuries were reported.
The popular arch in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area fell Thursday, and park rangers suspect changing water levels and erosion from waves in Lake Powell contributed to its demise.
Michelle Kerns, superintendent of the recreation area that spans the border of Utah and Arizona, said the collapse serves as a reminder to protect the mineral resources that surround the lake.
“These features have a life span that can be influenced or damaged by manmade interventions,” she said in a statement.
The arch was formed from 190 million-year-old Navajo sandstone originating in the late Triassic to early Jurassic periods. The fine-grained sandstone has endured erosion from weather, wind and rain, the statement said.
The recreation area encompasses nearly 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) and is popular among boaters and hikers.
This undated photo provided by the National Park Service shows Double Arch prior to collapse in Rock Creek Bay of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah. (National Park Service via AP)
This photo provided by the National Park Service shows the Double Arch, center, after the collapse, Friday, August 9th, 2024, in Rock Creek Bay of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah. (Jacob E. Ohlson/National Park Service via AP)
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A Trump administration official said Thursday the United States is in talks with conflict-plagued Congo on developing its mineral resources under a deal that the Congolese president has said could help make his country safer.
U.S. President Donald Trump's senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, did not provide details of the potential deal following talks with Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, but he said it could involve “multi-billion-dollar investments.”
“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed" the Congo's proposal, Boulos said. “I am pleased to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development.”
American companies would be “operating transparently” and would “stimulate local economies," Boulos said.
Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. It also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves.
Tshisekedi said last month that he was open to a deal on developing critical minerals with the United States if the American involvement could help quell insurgencies and boost security in the African country.
“I think that the U.S. is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups ... can be kept at bay,” he said on U.S. TV broadcaster Fox.
Eastern Congo has been in conflict for decades with more than 100 armed groups, most of which are vying for territory in the vast and mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who have fled their homes this year.
The M23 is the most potent armed group and is backed by Congo’s neighbor Rwanda. Since launching a major escalation of their decadelong fighting with Congolese forces in January, the M23 rebels have captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu and several towns in eastern Congo, prompting fears of regional war involving neighbors whose militaries are also on the ground.
On Thursday, M23 withdrew from Walikale, a key mining town in eastern Congo it captured last month, after weeks of fighting with Congolese forces and its allied Wazalendo militia.
The Walikale area is home to the largest tin deposits in Congo and to several significant gold mines. The Bisie tin mine, around 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the town, accounts for the majority of tin exports from North Kivu province.
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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.
FILE - Massad Boulos visits The Great Commoner, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
