Rainbows of Rock, Tables of Stone: The Natural Arches and Pillars of Ohio

Rainbows of Rock, Tables of Stone is an exploration of the natural arches and pillars of Ohio.The heart of the book is the identification, description, and interpretation of some 83 arches and 18 pillars known to occur in the state. Background information about the bedrock geology of Ohio, the methods of measuring and describing natural arches and pillars, the processes by which these features can be formed, and the ways that they are eventually removed from the landscape provide interesting and valuable context for better understanding the creation, destruction, and study of these unusual elements of the geological landscape. The names and locations of publicly accessible arches and pillars are given. Rainbows of Rock, Tables of Stone is the most extensive statewide review of natural arches and pillars known, and it will almost certainly become a model that will inspire and influence similar compilations for other states.

Tim Snyder holds degrees from Evangel College (biology education) and Colorado State University (recreation resources and interpretive services). He joined the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1980 and retired in 2005, working first with the Division of Parks and Recreation and then, for most of his career, with the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. His study of Ohio’s natural arches and pillars commenced early in the 1980s — and continues! Rainbows of Rock, Tables of Stone provides the results of the first quarter century of Snyder’s efforts to find, study, and report upon these interesting geological features.