Hawaii’s famed Hōlei Sea Arch has collapsed

A colossal sea arch that had long been a major landmark on Hawaii’s rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean more than 500 years after it was naturally formed, the local park service confirmed.

Hōlei Sea Arch stood at a height of roughly 90 feet (27 meters) in Hawaii ’s Volcanoes National Park on the southern coast of the Big Island — the largest and youngest island of the Hawaiian chain.

The arch formed around 550 years ago when ancient lava flow from the eruption of one of the island’s six volcanoes hit the cliff edges and carved the vault, creating a natural marvel that drew visitors to the spot for many years, according to the United States National Park Service (NPS).

While the exact time of the collapse is unknown, the Volcanoes National Park team said on social media Thursday that the arch was still standing on Wednesday, September 23, when the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo.

When it reopened on Monday, 28 September, the arch was gone.

“Yes, it’s true. RIP Hōlei Sea Arch,” Volcanoes National Park said in posts of Facebook and Instagram , alongside before-and-after photographs revealing a stark shift in the scenery.

“Hōlei Sea Arch was a very special place to so many of our visitors,” it added.

But the wild and remote coastline’s dramatic transformation had long been expected, according to NPS.

“This formation is beautiful, but temporary, and has a limited life span,” NPS said in a description of the beauty spot on its website.

“The sea arch will eventually crumble into the sea. However, others will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland,” it added.

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NPS said the cliff’s lifespan was determined by differential erosion — a process whereby softer rock is worn away faster and harder than stronger, more resistant rock.

Landscapes are routinely reshaped through differential erosion, and it is how the arch came to be more than five centuries ago.

Park staff knew the incessant battering of waves against the sea arch would eventually cause it to crumble into the Pacific, although they were not able to predict exactly when this would happen.

Volcanoes National Park urged visitors to keep their distance from the unstable cliff edges to avoid putting themselves, or first responders, in danger.

夏威夷当地公园管理部门证实，一座巨大的海蚀拱在自然形成 500 多年后坍塌入太平洋。这座海蚀拱长期以来一直是夏威夷崎岖海岸线上的主要地标。

霍雷海拱位于夏威夷火山国家公园内，大岛（夏威夷群岛中最大、最年轻的岛屿）南岸，高约 90 英尺（27 米）。

据美国国家公园管理局 (NPS) 称，这座拱门大约形成于 550 年前，当时岛上六座火山之一喷发的古代熔岩流冲击悬崖边缘，雕刻出拱顶，创造了这一自然奇观，多年来一直吸引着游客前来参观。

虽然坍塌的确切时间尚不清楚，但火山国家公园团队周四在社交媒体上表示，在 9 月 23 日星期三热带风暴诺洛期间公园暂时关闭时，拱门仍然屹立不倒。

9月28日星期一重新开放时，拱门已经不见了。

“是的，这是真的。霍雷海拱安息吧。”火山国家公园在 Facebook 和 Instagram 上发帖说道，并附上了前后对比照片，揭示了景观的巨大变化。

“对于我们很多游客来说，霍雷海拱是一个非常特别的地方，”声明补充道。

但据美国国家公园管理局称，这条偏远荒野的海岸线发生巨大变化早已在预料之中。

“这种地貌很美，但却是暂时的，寿命有限，”美国国家公园管理局在其网站上对这处美景的描述中写道。

“海蚀拱最终会崩塌入海。但是，随着悬崖缓慢向内陆迁移，其他海蚀拱会取而代之，”报告补充道。

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美国国家公园管理局表示，悬崖的寿命取决于差异侵蚀——较软的岩石比更坚硬、更耐侵蚀的岩石更容易被磨损，而且磨损速度更快。

地貌经常因差异侵蚀而改变，五百多年前，拱门就是这样形成的。

公园工作人员知道，海浪不断拍打海蚀拱最终会导致它崩塌入太平洋，尽管他们无法准确预测这种情况何时发生。

火山国家公园敦促游客与不稳定的悬崖边缘保持距离，以免让自己或急救人员陷入危险。