A colossal sea arch that was long a major landmark on Hawaii’s rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean more than 500 years after its natural formation, the local park service said. confirmed.
Hōlei Sea Arch stood to a height of approximately 90 feet (27 meters) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the south coast of the Big Island, the largest and youngest island in the Hawaiian chain.
The arch was formed about 550 years ago when ancient lava flows from the eruption of one of the island’s six volcanoes collided with the cliff edges and hollowed out the arch, creating a natural wonder that attracted visitors to the site for many years, according to the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).
Although the exact time of the collapse is unknown, the Volcanoes National Park team said on social media Thursday that the arch was still standing Wednesday, Sept. 23, when the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo.
When it reopened on Monday September 28, the arch had disappeared.
“Yes, it’s true. RIP Hōlei Sea Arch,” Volcanoes National Park said in posts on Facebook and Instagram, alongside before and after photographs revealing a dramatic change in the landscape.
“Hōlei Sea Arch was a very special place for many of our visitors,” he adds.
But the dramatic transformation of this wild and isolated coastline was long overdue, according to the NPS.
“This formation is beautiful, but temporary, and has a limited lifespan,” the NPS said in a description of the beauty spot on its website.
“The sea arch will eventually collapse into the sea. However, others will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland,” he adds.
The NPS said the lifespan of the cliff is determined by differential erosion — a process by which softer rocks wear away faster and harder than stronger, more resilient rocks.
Landscapes are regularly reshaped by differential erosion, and this is how the arch was born more than five centuries ago.
Park staff knew that the incessant pounding of waves against the sea arc would eventually cause it to collapse into the Pacific, although they were unable to predict exactly when that would happen.
Volcanoes National Park urged visitors to keep their distance from unstable cliff edges to avoid putting themselves or first responders in danger.
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