Famed Darwin's Arch Rock Formation Collapses Into the Ocean

A famous rock structure in the Galapagos Islands collapsed on Monday. Two rocky pillars are all that’s left of Darwin’s Arch, about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. “This event is a consequence of natural erosion,”…

IJR SyndicatedMay 22, 20213 min read

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“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,” Washington Tapia, director of conservation at Galapagos Conservancy, told The Associated Press in response to the collapse.

“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.”

Jen Jones of the Galapagos Conservation Trust said the group was “sad to hear the news about Darwin’s Arch collapsing.”

“The collapse of the arch is a reminder of how fragile our world is,” she told The Guardian.

“While there is little that we as humans can do to stop geological processes such as erosion, we can endeavour to protect the islands’ precious marine life.

“Galápagos Conservation Trust is working with partners to protect these sharks both within the Galápagos marine reserve and on their migrations outside in the wider eastern tropical Pacific.”

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently announced a $43 million initiative to bring conservation measures to the islands, Forbes reported.

The money will fund projects including the restoration of Floreana Island, which is home to 54 threatened species, and the reintroduction of locally extinct species.

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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.