Hawaii’s renowned Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot-tall lava rock formation believed to have formed about 550 years ago, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean.
The arch, located along the coastline of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island in the United States, was still standing on September 23 but had disappeared by September 27, according to the National Park Service.
The exact time of the collapse remains unknown, although officials believe it may have occurred while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend.
The National Park Service said the cliffs surrounding the arch had shown signs of instability for years and had previously warned that the formation would eventually collapse.
The sea arch had become a popular tourist attraction and was heavily photographed because of its distinctive natural formation.
However, earthquakes linked to the 2018 Kīlauea volcanic eruption and summit collapse had weakened the cliffs around it.
In January 2020, officials closed the original viewing area after discovering new cracks and further instability in the cliffs. A safer viewing point was opened several months later.
The formation had also suffered damage during a tropical storm in 2020, when waves broke off part of the rock at the base of the arch.
Describing the formation in 2021, the National Park Service said, “This formation is beautiful, but temporary, and has a limited life span. The sea arch will eventually crumble into the sea. However, others will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland.”
The agency described the collapse as “the latest transformation of the park’s remote and rugged coastline.”
Thousands of people have since reacted to the National Park Service’s social media post announcing the collapse, with many sharing memories and photographs from visits to the landmark.
“Nothing and no one is here forever,” one Facebook user commented. “Millions of years from now the sun will die. Appreciate the good, the beauty, now.”
