Malta's Famous 'Azure Window' Has Collapsed Into The Sea
Even if you didn't know it was called the "Azure Window" and didn't know it was located on Malta, an island nation in the Mediterranean, you probably recognize pictures of the famous rock formation, a stunning land bridge connecting the island to a massive rock jutting out of the sea:
But in a tremendous and irreversible loss, the Azure Window has disintegrated into the ocean, rendering the famous coastline unrecognizable:
While stunning, the collapse does not come as a complete surprise. Formed by erosion, the Window was eventually destined to be destroyed by erosion:
The same waves which carved the window out of the living rock continues to eat away at the structure and threatens to one day cause the slim bridge to collapse. And although the risk does not appear to be imminent, no one can predict with any degree of accuracy when such a collapse will take place.
Just last month, the Times of Malta reported that storms had caused a concerning amount of erosion at the base of the Window:
Rough seas have exposed the fragility of Gozo's Azure Window, with waves having broken off a large slab at the base of one of its cliffs… Concerns about the iconic site's long-term future have grown over the past year, although most attention has focused on the rock formation's arch, which is gradually being eroded.
We might as well enjoy some beautiful photographs now: