What happened
A 550-year-old natural wonder, the Hōlei Sea Arch, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. The arch, located in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, was a 90-foot-tall lava rock structure that formed around 550 years ago. According to the National Park Service, the arch was still intact on September 23 but had collapsed by September 27.
The collapse is believed to have occurred when the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend. The park service had warned in 2021 that the arch would eventually crumble due to the coastline's instability. Earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea volcano eruption and summit collapse had also damaged the cliffs near the arch.
The arch was a popular tourist destination, and its collapse has been met with an outpouring of comments and memories from visitors on social media. The National Park Service noted that the formation was temporary and had a limited lifespan, but new formations will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland.