The Azure Window, natural wonder in Malta collapsed due to storm

[Euskalduna]

[IMG]https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/ac_azurewindow_comp.jpg?quality=80&strip=all[/IMG]

[QUOTE]Yesterday, one of the natural icons of the Mediterranean disappeared when Malta’s Azure Window collapsed into the sea, reports Merrit Kennedy at NPR. The massive limestone arch, also known as Tieqa tad-Dwejra, was located on the island of Gozo and was a popular tourist stop and image, making its recent appearances as a backdrop on the HBO show "Game of Thrones" and in the movie Clash of the Titans.

The Times of Malta reports that the collapse was witnessed by local resident Roger Chessell, who says the arch went down during a storm around 9:40 A.M. local time. “There was a big raging sea beneath the window,” he tells the Times of Malta. “Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too.”

While the collapse is tragic for local tourism, it wasn’t completely unexpected. Tamara Best at The New York Times reports that a 2013 geological study of the arch found that erosion was weakening the structure and that its collapse was inevitable. Last year, authorities banned visitors from venturing out onto the arch, imposing a stiff penalty of about $1,500 for violators.

[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/maltas-iconic-azure-window-crumbles-sea-180962458/[/url]

[AntonioR]

Watched Clash Of The Titans (1981) and Odyssey (1997) just few days ago. Both were filmed there.

[Potus]

Aw fuck that really sucks. At least it was a force of nature though, can't really do much against that

[C.C]

Well at least we will always have pictures.

[Twidler]

I hope they make an authentic recreation, just to honor it if anything.

[Oceansbloo]

Everyone at work was shocked/upset when the news broke out. Not much down that end of the island now.

[QUOTE=Superkilll307;51943995]I hope they make an authentic recreation, just to honor it if anything.[/QUOTE]

There has been an online petition put foward asking for something like this to be done but I doubt that would feel the same.

[coup]

That's got to take a heavy toll on tourism, ouch.

[Xonax]

So...was it just the Bridge, the Island/Rock connected to it, or both?

[Oceansbloo]

[QUOTE=Xonax;51944228]So...was it just the Bridge, the Island/Rock connected to it, or both?[/QUOTE]

The whole thing just went, the arch fell first then the stack holding it went with it. All thats left is the cliff it was connected to.

[Dr.C]

There's something like this at Point Bonita lighthouse at the Marin Headlands on the other side of the golden gate bridge. Except instead of being down on the beach at a calm ocean, you only see it if your boat is about to ram into jagged, black rocks and you're going to die a horrible death, or if you're at the lighthouse on the bridge that sways 4 feet each way and all you see are powerful waves crashing into sharp, black rocks
[t]http://i.imgur.com/x6q9qSN.jpg[/t]
(I didn't get a picture of the "window" since I didn't want to drop my phone)

Thinking about it now, there are lots of these types of formations on California's coast but they're mostly where there is no beach and it's just cliff meets the ocean

[Xonax]

[QUOTE=oceansbloo;51944444]The whole thing just went, the arch fell first then the stack holding it went with it. All thats left is the cliff it was connected to.[/QUOTE]

Wow...that's sad but amazing.

[I'm Jon]

[QUOTE=Superkilll307;51943995]I hope they make an authentic recreation, just to honor it if anything.[/QUOTE]

I hope they don't do that. Natural wonders are natural wonders for a reason and making a man made re-creation is kind of tacky.

[zukriuchen]

I was looking for other pictures of this, and found some blog talking about how this was bound to happen. They predicted the base would stay there though

(photoshop ofc)
[t]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kSa3MuZiMfc/TqPHYmkwHCI/AAAAAAAANjQ/wn6FZ1UY0cY/s640/azure+pinnacle+azure+window.jpg[/t]

[quote]Thanks to Reddit member rewarren for this impression of what the Azure Pinnacle may look like![/quote]

Strange to see it ALL got swept away

[Pickwickian]

Cave, arch, stack, stump.

[The_J_Hat]

:snip:

bad reading

[Oceansbloo]

[video=youtube;mP4KkbaUrks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP4KkbaUrks[/video]
Found this just now, looks so weird with it gone

[😹 WHO DID THIS]

[QUOTE=oceansbloo;51944692][video=youtube;mP4KkbaUrks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP4KkbaUrks[/video]
Found this just now, looks so weird with it gone[/QUOTE]
Thought this was going to show the collapse.

Pretty interesting though, seeing the final moments of something that's been in this world for millenia that will never be there ever again.

[The_J_Hat]

[QUOTE=oceansbloo;51944692][video=youtube;mP4KkbaUrks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP4KkbaUrks[/video]
Found this just now, looks so weird with it gone[/QUOTE]

Oh damn

[Thedekoykid]

Same thing happened here :(
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Arch[/url]

[bourgogne]

Why didn't they build it to withstand storms? Huge oversight

[Lowland]

Oh wow, it was such a popular thing too. I was in Malta a couple years ago and we went to see it. I'm surprised that even the base disappeared. The water must be really deep there.

[AntonioR]

What is fascinating to me is some people in the comments actually blame the government for not doing enough to prevent this. It's a damn natural process.

[chernisreal?]

God's punishment.

[Zeb Brown]

It's just a part of nature, cool to be honest.

[SirJon]

Nature giveth and nature taketh away

[JaffaOrange]

Makes one wonder how many natural wonders have come and gone before we even became aware of our surroundings as humans.

[KlaseR]

so I'm not the only Maltese facepuncher? wow...

[Sims_doc]

We had something like that here, It was called london bridge and you could even drive across it.

Fell to the sea, as all things do.

[TheCrown]

All is dust.

[Squeegy Mackoy]

Isn't that the rock where daenerys got diddled?