Hawaii's iconic 550-year-old Hōlei Sea Arch collapses

Hawaii's Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot-tall lava rock formation in Volcanoes National Park, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. The 550-year-old structure was last seen on September 23rd and was gone by September 27th. The National Park Service (NPS) stated that the coastline near the arch had shown signs of instability for years and had warned of its eventual collapse in 2021. The arch is believed to have fallen during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend, a period when the park was temporarily closed. Earthquakes from the 2018 Kīlauea volcano eruption had previously damaged the cliffs in the area. The collapse represents a further change to the park's coastline.

Hawaii's Hōlei sea arch, a natural landmark formed 550 years ago by ocean wave erosion, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. The National Park Service confirmed the collapse, which occurred sometime between September 23rd and 27th, following a series of rough storms. The 90-foot arch, located in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, had shown signs of instability for years due to erosion and damage from past storms and volcanic activity. The recent surge in severe storms, attributed in part to an El Niño year and climate change, likely contributed to its final demise.