Natural Wonder Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos Islands Has Collapsed
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The famous Darwin's Arch rock formation in the Galapagos Islands has collapsed.
On Monday, Ecuador's Environment Ministry announced on Facebook that the iconic natural structure lost its top.
"We inform that today, May 17, 2021, the collapse of the Darwin Arch, the attractive natural bridge located less than a kilometer from the main island Darwin, the northernmost of the Galapagos Archipelago. This event would be the result of natural erosion," the ministry's post said in Spanish.
The structure now consists of two separate pillars and images of it were shared on the ministry's social media page. Darwin's Arch, which was named after English biologist Charles Darwin, is a popular attraction but it's not accessible by land and tourists aren't allowed on it.
Informamos que hoy 17 de mayo, se reportó el colapso del Arco de Darwin, el atractivo puente natural ubicado a menos de un kilómetro de la isla principal Darwin, la más norte del archipiélago de #Galápagos. Este suceso sería consecuencia de la erosión natural.
📷Héctor Barrera pic.twitter.com/lBZJWNbgHg— Ministerio del Ambiente y Agua de Ecuador (@Ambiente_Ec) May 17, 2021
Aggressor Adventures, a tour company that organized group visits, shared on Facebook that one of its tour groups witnessed the moment the structure collapsed.
"Unfortunately today, our guests of the Galapagos Aggressor III experienced a once in a lifetime event. This morning at 11:20am local time, the world-famous Darwin's Arch collapsed in front of their eyes," the company's post read. "Some in the dive & travel industry are already referring to this now as 'The Pillars of Evolution.' We will miss this iconic site. 💔"
Ecuador's Environment Ministry also noted that Darwin's Arch was made of natural stone and considered "one of the best places on the planet" for scuba divers to observe schools of sharks and other marine life.
"The collapse of the arch is a reminder of how fragile our world is," Jen Jones of the Galápagos Conservation Trust told The Guardian. "While there is little that we as humans can do to stop geological processes such as erosion, we can endeavor to protect the islands' precious marine life."
