Hōlei Sea Arch in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park collapses into the ocean
The roughly 90-foot Hōlei Sea Arch on Hawaii's Big Island was standing on 23 September and gone by the night of 27 September, the National Park Service said. The exact time of the collapse is unknown.
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The story, neutrally told
MixedThe Hōlei Sea Arch, a roughly 90-foot (27-metre) formation in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. New York PostR “The 90-foot arch at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island was standing firm Wednesday, Sept. 23” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “The Hōlei Sea Arch stood about 90 feet (27 meters) tall along the southern coast of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ MixedThe arch was still standing on 23 September but was gone by the night of 27 September, according to the National Park Service (NPS). New York PostR “was standing firm Wednesday, Sept. 23, but was gone by Sunday night, according to the National Park Service.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “The arch was still standing on September 23 but had collapsed by the night of September 27.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ MixedOfficials do not know exactly when it fell. They suspect it may have happened while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo. New York PostR “Officials do not know exactly when the tourist attraction fell and suspect it may have happened while the park was temporarily closed for three days during Tropical Storm Nolo.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “The exact time is unknown, but the collapse may have occurred while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
RightThe New York Post reports that Nolo brought heavy rain and powerful winds to the Big Island, causing flash flooding and road closures, and that the park was closed for three days. New York PostR “Nolo brought heavy rain and powerful winds to the Big Island last week, triggering flash flooding and road closures.” Read at New York Post ↗ MixedBoth outlets say the arch was about 500 years old; the New York Post adds that it formed about 550 years ago, when waves carved through an ancient lava flow at the end of Chain of Craters Road. New York PostR “formed about 550 years ago as waves carved through an ancient lava flow” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “more than 500 years after it was naturally formed” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ CentreThe Hindustan Times attributes the collapse to natural erosion: waves wore away softer rock faster than harder layers, a process called differential erosion that left the arch increasingly fragile. It says the NPS had long warned the arch would eventually crumble into the sea and that new formations would emerge as the cliff moves inland. Hindustan TimesN “this process—known as differential erosion—left the arch increasingly fragile.”““The sea arch will eventually crumble into the sea,” the NPS said in its description of the site” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
RightThe New York Post describes years of damage before the collapse. Earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse damaged the surrounding cliffs. New cracks led the park to close the original viewing area in January 2020, and a safer viewing area farther from the edge opened that March. Later in 2020, surf from Tropical Storm Darby knocked rock loose from the arch's lower portion. New York PostR “New cracks and instability prompted Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close the original viewing area in January 2020.”“Later that year, Tropical Storm Darby’s massive surf knocked a section of rock loose from the arch’s lower portion.” Read at New York Post ↗ MixedThe NPS is urging visitors to stay away from the area and other unstable coastal cliffs. It says social media photos show people entering the closed area near where the arch stood, risking falls and drowning and endangering first responders. Hindustan TimesN “Photos on social media show people entering the closed area near where the sea arch once stood, putting themselves and first responders at great risk of falling and drowning” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ New York PostR “Visitors were warned to stay away from the site near Hōlei Sea Arch, where the cliffs drop straight into the Pacific and can collapse without warning.” Read at New York Post ↗ RightThe New York Post also quotes visitors who mourned the loss, including one who photographed the arch on 23 September at about 10 am and called themselves among the last to see it standing. New York PostR ““We were just there on Sept 23rd around 10 am and are probably some of the last few to see it still standing,” one visitor wrote on Facebook.” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Explainer-style piece answering where, when and why the arch collapsed, with before-and-after photos, and attributing the collapse to natural erosion.
- Emphasis
- Erosion science (differential erosion), the NPS's earlier warning that the arch would fall, and the safety warning.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the earthquake and storm damage history, the 2020 viewing-area changes or visitor reactions.
- Charged language
- “iconic”
- For example
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“The collapse was the result of natural erosion that had been gradually weakening the rock for centuries.” — Hindustan Times
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- News report on the loss of a beloved landmark, with a human-interest angle built on visitor reactions.
- Emphasis
- Tropical Storm Nolo, the history of damage from earthquakes and storms, visitor quotes and people entering the closed area.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not explain the erosion process or cite the NPS's earlier warning that the arch would eventually fall.
- Charged language
- “iconic”“landmark”
- For example
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““What a beautiful and special place. We are so sad that it is gone,” another added.” — New York Post
What every side reports
- The arch was about 90 feet tall in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.
- It was standing on 23 September and gone by the night of 27 September, per the NPS.
- The exact time of collapse is unknown and may have coincided with the park's closure during Tropical Storm Nolo.
- The NPS warns visitors to stay back from unstable cliffs; people have been photographed entering the closed area.
Where accounts differ
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Age of the arch
- Centre
- Says it collapsed more than 500 years after it formed.
- Right
- Headline says 'after 500 years'; body says it formed about 550 years ago.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Neutral Explains the collapse as an expected result of long-term natural erosion, with a visitor safety warning.
Right1 article
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Hawaii’s iconic Hōlei Sea Arch landmark collapses into ocean after 500 years
Sympathetic Reports the collapse as the loss of a beloved landmark, with visitor tributes and a history of damage.
- 2 Oct 11:23 First New York PostR Hawaii’s iconic Hōlei Sea Arch landmark collapses into ocean after 500 years
- 2 Oct 18:21 +6h 58m Hindustan TimesN Why did Hawaii's iconic Hōlei Sea Arch collapse into the Pacific after 500 years? Before-and-after photos show the change
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.