AI Image
Hawaii's famed Holei Sea Arch is gone forever
SFGATE • • nation
Key Points:
- The Holei Sea Arch, a natural lava rock formation approximately 90 feet tall at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, collapsed into the ocean after centuries of standing along Hawaii Island’s coast, following recent storms.
- The arch was a popular tourist attraction located along Chain of Craters Road, with a designated viewing area at the end of the road where visitors could see the formation extending over the ocean.
- The National Park Service warned visitors to stay away from unstable cliff edges after the collapse, as people have been approaching dangerous areas despite closures.
- The arch had shown signs of instability for years, notably losing a portion during Tropical Storm Darby in 2022, and was formed by lava flows from an eruption over 500 years ago, gradually shaped by ocean erosion.
- This natural collapse is consistent with the ephemeral nature of sea arches, which are eventually worn away by the same erosional forces that created them.
