- Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot-tall (27.4m) lava rock structure that formed about 550 years ago, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean.
- The National Park Service confirmed on Friday that the arch had collapsed after a series of rough storms, including Tropical Storm Nolo.
- The National Park Service (NPS) stated the arch was still standing on Wednesday 23 September, when the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo, but had collapsed by Sunday night, on 27 September.
- Nolo, which rapidly intensified into a hurricane on 24 September – causing Volcanoes National Park to shutter - was the third major storm to devastate the islands of Hawaii in recent months.
- The arch is believed to have fallen when the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend.
- The arch was still projecting into the water from the coast of Volcanoes National Park on 23 September, but was gone by 27 September, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Hawaii's Hōlei Sea Arch, a beloved natural landmark, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean following Tropical Storm Nolo. The National Park Service confirmed the arch, which stood at 90 feet and was formed around 550 years ago, fell between September 23 and 27, 2023.12345
The arch was still intact on September 23, but the park was closed during the storm, and by September 27, it had disappeared. "The coastline flanking the sea arch has shown signs of instability for years," the NPS stated, noting that the arch's collapse had been anticipated due to ongoing erosion and geological activity.
The arch was formed through natural processes involving differential erosion of lava rock. “It will not be here forever,” the US Geological Survey warned in 2014, highlighting the arch's vulnerability to ocean waves.
The area had experienced significant geological events, including earthquakes from the 2018 Kīlauea volcanic eruption, which damaged the cliffs surrounding the arch. “This formation is beautiful, but temporary, and has a limited life span,” the park service noted in 2021, indicating that while the arch has fallen, new formations will eventually emerge as the cliffs continue to erode.
Tropical Storm Nolo was the third major storm to impact Hawaii in recent months, exacerbating the already precarious situation for the Hōlei Sea Arch.
“The 90-foot-tall lava rock structure, formed about 550 years ago, was still standing on Sept. 23 but gone by Sept. 27. Nolo, which intensified into a hurricane on Sept. 24, was the third major storm to hit Hawaii in recent months.”
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