Landscapes shape our sense of place, yet Earth is constantly changing. The forces of volcanism, wind, water, sun, and, yes, people, relentlessly conspire to transform what we consider familiar terrain—pummeling cliffs into beaches, eroding vast canyons, forming new land with bubbling lava, and shifting the course of mighty rivers.
Indeed, change is the only constant—an idea seeded by Greek philosopher Heraclitus back in the fifth century B.C. and echoed by philosophers ever since. But people often forget that Heraclitus believed fear of change is also a constant. Perhaps it’s this sense of looming impermanence that compels travelers to see natural wonders before they’re forever altered.
In the last 50 years, hundreds of natural landmarks around the world have drastically shape-shifted—or worse, disappeared. Most recently, Darwin’s Arch in the Galápagos Islands collapsed into the sea , joining other structures, such as Arches National Park ’s “Wall Arch ” and Malta ’s “Azure Window ,” lost to history. Here are landmarks that no longer exist—and some fragile sites you can still visit, responsibly.
LEGZIRA BEACH, MOROCCO
Paragliders, surfers, fishermen, and a handful of in-the-know visitors mourned when one of this beach’s twin red sea arches succumbed to the weight of the massive cliff above it in 2016. The rust-colored hideaway outside Morocco ’s Sidi Ifni was a popular sunset scene; a similar setting can be found in the Jurassic-era red sea stacks of Ladram Bay in Devon, England . Photograph by Zzvet, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Christmas Island Coral Reef, Australia
Mopsella sea fans are among the many types of coral fringing Christmas Island , the largest coral atoll in the world and a popular dive site in Australia . In 2016, rising water temperatures from El Niño storms caused the death of an estimated 80 percent of the coral. But in late 2020, researchers began to see signs of renewed life, providing a “glimmer of hope” that protection from local stressors can give bleached coral time to heal. WaterFrame/Alamy Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Sequoia Tunnel Tree, California
The 1,000-year-old Pioneer Cabin “tunnel tree” was one of several towering California trees cut in the late 19th century to inspire nature tourism. It was the last giant sequoia with a drive-through archway in its trunk when it fell January 2017. Three massive Giant California Redwoods continue to offer the drive-through experience—find them near the town of Eureka . Photograph by B Christopher, Alamy Stock Photo Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Left: GOD’S FINGER, SPAIN
In 2005, the first cyclone to swoop by Spain ’s Canary Islands in 150 years toppled El Dedo de Dios (God’s Finger), a needle-like sea stack pointing upward from a rocky “hand.” Photograph by David Robertson, Alamy Stock Photo Right: DARWIN’S ARCH, GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR
On May 17, 2021, this famous natural bridge named for the English biologist collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, a result of erosion, according to Ecuador ’s Ministry for the Environment. Popular with tourists visiting by cruise ship, the UNESCO World Heritage site teems with marine fauna, from manta rays to whale sharks and hawksbill turtles. Photograph by Rodrigo Friscione, Alamy
Hillary Step on Mount Everest, Nepal
The Everest summit in Nepal got a little easier to reach in late May 2017 when a massive boulder some two hundred feet from the top appeared to have disappeared. Experts think the sheer “Hillary Step”—named for Sir Edmund Hillary who called it one of the most challenging features on the mountain—loosened in a 2015 earthquake. Photograph by Bradley Jackson, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
SYLVIA FLATS POOLS, NEW ZEALAND
In 2017, the rock walls of Sylvia Flats pools, natural hot springs alongside the chillier Lewis River in New Zealand , were destroyed in a mudslide. Fortunately, other thermal pools—such as Maruia Hot Springs in Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve —still offer warm soaks a few miles north. Photograph by alexeys, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Elephant Rock, Canada
Some 200 tons of rocks toppled from New Brunswick’s “Elephant Rock” in the spring of 2016, turning a peephole into a pile of rubble. The scenic spot in Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park was one of the most popular stops for travelers taking in the remarkably wide-ranging tides of Canada ’s Bay of Fundy. The area lost another landmark in February of 2022, when Flower Pot Rock toppled during a heavy storm. Photograph by Mike Grandmaison, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Left: Slims River, Canada
In spring 2017, an entire river in Canada ’s Yukon territory vanished seemingly overnight. The culprit was the retreat of the massive Kaskawulsh Glacier , its meltwater diverted from the Slims River to feed a different waterway. Scientists called it the first case of “river piracy” in modern times. These changes are also shrinking the Yukon’s largest lake. You can see Kluane Lake’s receding shoreline along Alaska Highway 1 and from points within Kluane National Park and Reserve . Photograph by Alan Majchrowicz, Getty Images Right: CHACALTAYA GLACIER, BOLIVIA
A man gazes out at the last patch of the Chacaltaya Glacier in this photo taken on October 26, 2009. That year, the 18,000-year-old glacier melted away , shutting down the mountaintop ski resort, once considered the world’s highest. Bolivian scientists had predicted that the glacier would melt by 2015, but rapidly rising temperatures due to climate change sped up the process. Photograph by Anders Birch, Redux
WALL ARCH, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH
When the precarious thread of Entrada sandstone, spanning 71 feet across the top of the freestanding “Wall Arch” in Arches National Park , gave way one night in August 2008, campers claimed to hear loud rumbling despite clear skies. The Utah park still counts many more fragile formations among its attractions, including the blocky, 50-foot red bridge of the lone Vultee Arch . Photograph by shearman, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Dead Sea, bordered by Israel, West Bank, and Jordan
The super-salty Dead Sea isn’t gone yet, but it is shrinking at an alarming rate—water levels have dropped more than three feet each year for the last several years. As a result, thousands of sinkholes have appeared, signaling a looming water-shortage crisis in the region. Photograph by Nickolay V, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Azure Window, Malta
It took thousands of storms to pummel the Azure Window into the limestone sea cliffs of Malta ’s Gozo Island, but just one to finish it off. The iconic site in Dwejra Bay was one of the island-nation’s most popular natural attractions—it was even featured briefly in the HBO series “Game of Thrones”—before it toppled March 2017. To see other impressive sea arches visible from a sunbather’s vantage, head to the White Chalk Cliffs coastline of Étretat in Normandy, France . You can even walk beneath the impressive Falaise Aval at low tide. Photograph by Jin Yu, Xinhua/Redux Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Basking Ridge Oak Tree, New Jersey
One of the oldest oak trees in North America died in a cemetery in Basking Ridge, New Jersey , in 2017. The massive tree reportedly once shaded a picnicking George Washington and was already some 80 years old when Columbus reached the Americas. Photograph by BRYAN ANSELM, The New York Times/Redux Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Left: TÉNÉRÉ TREE, NIGER
The only acacia to eke out an existence in the Sahara Desert , some 250 miles from its nearest neighbor, the Ténéré Tree became a local landmark in the 1930s before it was allegedly felled by a drunk driver. A metal sculpture (pictured above) now stands in its place. Another desert tree significant enough to feature on otherwise blank maps was Chapman’s Baobab, a “mail tree” in Botswana etched with notes and markings from early Europeans like David Livingstone. Unfortunately, that tree fell in 2016 . Photograph by UIG/Getty Images Right: OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Call him crest-fallen: The mysterious profile in New Hampshire ’s Franconia Notch State Park no longer resembles an “Old Man of the Mountain,” though a monument of steel structures has helped to recreate the illusion of his visage from a plaza below (with some imagination). Photograph by Garry Black, Alamy Stock Photo
Kaimu Beach, Hawaii
Around 150 homes on popular black sand Kaimu Beach were lost when a slow-moving lava flow overtook Hawaii 's Kalapana village in the early 1990s. Kilauea Volcano continues to erupt today and to date it has added more than 500 acres of new land to the big island. It’s possible to see the newest stretches from lava boat tours departing Pahoa. Photograph by Douglas Peebles, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Though few humans ever locked eyes on the icy cliffs of Antarctica ’s Larsen C ice shelf, satellites watched when a section the size of Delaware floated free into the Southern Ocean . Iceberg calving is nothing new, but changes this drastic are certainly rare. Photograph by NASA/Redux Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
RELATED: ICEBERG THE SIZE OF DELAWARE BREAKS FREE IN ANTARCTICA
Footage from February 2017 shows a major rift in the ice shelf before the iceberg broke free. Warming waters caused by climate change will continue to accelerate the melting of ice around the world. Learn more.
This story has been updated since it first published on September 14, 2017.
