Mother Nature will not be denied.



http://www.timesofmalta.com/ar...-gone-forever.641810

The Azure Window is lost and gone forever
'It is as we never had an Azure Window'

Updated 2.39pm -

The Azure Window has collapsed and it is not just the top part which has fallen off - even the stacks have gone.

Roger Chessell, a Xagħra resident, was at Dwejra when the window collapsed at about 9.40am, having gone to take pictures of the storm.

“There was a big raging sea beneath the window,” he told 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."

In a press conference, Environment Minister Jose Herrera said several studies had shown that no man-made intervention could have prevented the collapse.

Gozo Minister Anton Refalo likened the event to "losing a part of yourself" but was keen to stress that Gozo had a lot to offer apart from the Azure Window.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis described the window as a marketing asset that had now been lost, but expressed confidence that Gozitan tourism would weather the blow.

Strong winds
Strong gale force winds hit Malta yesterday, even leading Gozo Channel to suspend its services.

The Azure Window is a star in Game of Thrones and Clash of the Titans (1981).
George R.R. Martin has been heard saying "Not me this time! I swear!"

Lucky no one was standing on it!

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:\

Mother Nature will not be denied.

Indeed.

I assume no one was standing on the thing when it collapsed.

If they were standing on it, it was a message from God: "Get thee to the gym!"

My daughter visited Malta and that site a few years ago. She messaged me today that she thought it was very sad that it was now gone. Me, never been to Malta.

I think we have a member from Malta that posts sometimes. Looks like it was a pretty good storm.

I can cross that off my bucket list.

Never been there, but it looked beautiful.

In some ways reminded me on Natural Bridge, Va, sans the ocean, much bigger however.

Sorry its gone, what took Nature millions of years to create, Nature took away in less than a minute probably.

The whole thing collapsed? Not just the thin center section? It must have been seriously undermined on the far end, and actually, you can see some of that.

Ban erosion.

This reminds me to get to Arches NP before some more of those things succumb to earthly forces.

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Jacket:
I can cross that off my bucket list.

There are a number of similar features like this. New Zealand has the "Hole in the Rock" inside the Bay of Islands.

quote:

Originally posted by PPGMD:

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Jacket:
I can cross that off my bucket list.

There are a number of similar features like this. New Zealand has the "Hole in the Rock" inside the Bay of Islands.

Volcano National Park in Hawaii, Grotto Azzurra on the isle of capri in Italy, etc

As they say in boxing, "Father Time is undefeated."

Flippin' hell - you really find everything here on Sigforum :-)
It was one heck of a storm and was gusting Force 9 at one point.

Was only a matter of time really - I've seen the window grow bigger and bigger over the years. In fact, a few years ago (about 15 I guess) when I was a diving instructor, we used to dive underneath it - stopped that when I noticed the large number of very big boulders with zero seaweed on them piling up on the seabed - didn't want to get splatted by a falling chunk of real estate.

Over the past year people were not allowed to walk on it (though quite a few did) in order to minimise erosion, but nothing could have held up to that big blow we had last week. I was hoping it would last for another decade or so, but it as not to be - feels like part of my childhood and lots of great romantic moments (super place to take a lady) has disappeared, but there is still lots to see in Gozo (I much prefer it to Malta and want to retire there).

The movie world lost one helluva backdrop!

I felt badly when The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in New Hampshire in 2003. We studied "The Great Stone Face" by Washington Irving in junior high.

quote:

Originally posted by Gene Hillman:
I felt badly when The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in New Hampshire in 2003. We studied "The Great Stone Face" by Washington Irving in junior high.

I was going to mention that. I'm glad I saw it in person before the collapse.