The famed Darwin's Arch in the Galapagos Islands has lost its top, and officials are blaming natural erosion of the stone.
Ecuador's Environment Ministry reported the collapse on its Facebook page on Monday.
The rock structure — 43 meters (141 feet) high, 70 meters (230 feet) long and 23 meters (75feet) wide — is less than 1 kilometer (about half a mile) from Darwin Island and it's a popular spot for scuba divers. It's not accessible by land.
“Obviously all the people from the Galapagos felt nostalgic because it’s something we’re familiar with since childhood, and to know that it has changed was a bit of a shock," said Washington Tapia, director of conservation at Galapagos Conservancy. "However, from a scientific point of view, it’s part of the natural process. The fall is surely due to exogenous processes such as weathering and erosion which are things that normally happen on our planet.”
The unique flora and fauna on remote islands, some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of mainland Ecuador are famed in part for inspiring Charles Darwin's thoughts on evolution.
Be Well: Building Strength, Cardio and Mindfulness at 'The Class'
The NASA Artemis 3 mission in 2025 plans to investigate whether microorganisms may have survived in the moon's permanently shadowed craters .
According to NASA, a "potentially dangerous" asteroid about the size of a bridge narrowly passed Earth on Monday.
A New Hampshire mountain known for its extreme weather conditions has recorded its snowiest June in 91 years of recordkeeping.
Be Well: Improve Your Flexibility With These Chair Exercises
Walmart is expanding its HIV treatments, planning to add over 80 specialty facilities across nearly a dozen states by the end of the year.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel met to discuss regulatory approval for the Alzheimer's drug, Leqembi.
Air quality on the East Coast has improved to at least a moderate level and will continue getting better by the weekend.
A new study from Columbia University has found that taurina, a type of amino acid known mostly as an ingredient in energy drinks, extended the life of worms, mice and monkeys.
Artechouse, a digital art studio in New York City, has a new exhibition that lets visitors experience never-before-seen images that the James Webb space telescope captured. Cheddar News takes a peek inside the newest immersive experience.
