HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — Hawaii’s famous Hōlei Sea Arch, a roughly 90-foot (27.4-metre) lava-rock formation estimated to be about 550 years old, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the BBC reported, citing the U.S. National Park Service.
The exact time of the collapse is unknown. The arch still projected from the coast at the end of Chain of Craters Road on September 23 but was gone by September 27, the park service said. Officials believe it fell while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend.
“The coastline flanking the sea arch has shown signs of instability for years,” the National Park Service said. Earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse had damaged nearby cliffs. In 2020, new cracks forced closure of the original viewing area; a safer overlook opened months later. Waves later broke rock from the arch’s base. In 2021, the park warned the formation had a limited lifespan and would eventually crumble.
The collapse marks “the latest transformation of the park’s remote and rugged coastline,” the park service said, adding that new arches can form as cliffs migrate inland. The site had been a heavily photographed tourist landmark on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Sources: BBC News
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