Malta's Azure Window Collapses Into the Sea (timesofmalta.com)

New submitter Duvzo writes: Sadly, our famous [Azure Window] landmark disappeared today, and not just the arch but the whole offshore stack has vanished. Strong gale force winds hit Malta yesterday, ultimately causing their landmark to collapse. Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, said the news was heartbreaking. "Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived," he said.

Slashdot reader Duvzo notes that the landmark was featured in Clash of the Titans and Game of Thrones. It served as the backdrop to the Dothraki wedding scene in the Game of Thrones.

Comments

Not a Microsoft story

[jabberw0k]

Just because an Azure instance crashes, along with an entire Windows stack, does not make this a news-for-nerds story.

heh, geologists said "decades" left

[iggymanz]

in 2013 geologists said the thing probably had decades left, but when a geologist says something will happen to a rock formation in timeframe that is anything less than thousand years...well that's the same as saying "very soon and any time now"

The arch was remains of caves that collapsed, and also being made of limestone not surprising the rest of it was doomed.

Re:heh, geologists said "decades" left

[TeknoHog]

It didn't help that people kept tombstoning off it despite fences and signs saying please don't because it's fragile and you're wearing it away by doing so.

I still have a piece of it in my necklace, but fortunately I'm far up North now, so you might say I'm wearing it away. Not to be pendantic or anything.

Re:heh, geologists said "decades" left

[Kjella]

in 2013 geologists said the thing probably had decades left, but when a geologist says something will happen to a rock formation in timeframe that is anything less than thousand years...well that's the same as saying "very soon and any time now"

Or maybe something improbable happened. People that don't understand statistics frustrate me, just because the probability of winning the lottery is really, really low doesn't mean nobody wins the lottery. Maybe it could have weathered a lot of other storms but this particular combination of amplitude and direction of wind, rising or ebbing tide resulted in waves that found a resonance and and started nudging something like a loose tooth or it had some unknown foundation issues or whatever. Obligatory XKCD

Russians

[ScentCone]

I dare say we know who is responsible for this, as in all things.

Re:Melodramatic much?

[Rei]

It wasn't even that impressive of an arch. We have sea arches far larger than that here in Iceland.

Re:Melodramatic much?

[SpaceDave]

While I struggle to see how this story is relevant to Slashdot, I do see how it would be heartbreaking. Just because the landscape changes naturally doesn't mean you shouldn't be sad when you lose a thing of beauty. Disagree if you like but I think a compassionate person would at least empathize with the locals.

Re:Melodramatic much?

[Ol Olsoc]

How is this heartbreaking? Maybe they are heartbroken that fewer tourists will visit them? Natural formations change all the time. The planet does not stand still.

I visited New Hampshire shortly after their iconic "Old Man of the Mountain' geological feature collapsed. Most people were pretty upset.

The reasons? No doubt it was something that had "always been there" during these folks lifetime. If you look at how upset some Slashdotters are about change, it might start to make some sense.

If only it were repeatable...

[gwolf]

One of Argentina's natural landmarks is the yearly fall of the Perito Moreno glaciar bridge. People come from around the world to the specific place this natural monument gets formed towards the end of the winter and watch it collapse.

Fortunately, it is a repeatable build.

Re:Melodramatic much?

[Xest]

There's a certain irony to it too, Malta is a migration point for many birds passing between Europe and the Middle East and Africa as part of their winter migrations, this results in some spectacular scenes of natural beauty and yet Malta has uncontrolled illegal hunting of them such that it's causing real problems not just for the migrations, but for the number of these birds in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as they get killed traversing between.

People have been shot at and arrested for reporting on this within Malta despite the fact they're effectively trying to raise awareness of illegality. It seems a bit odd that Malta would cry about the collapse of a few rocks whilst supporting wanton destruction of other aspects of their natural heritage and beauty.

I guess it's one of those "We only miss it when it's gone" type things? We have similar formations like this in the UK too so I agree, it's hardly rare or unique, though the closest one to me is mostly covered in bird shit because it's a Puffin/Ganet breeding ground, but at least it's still standing I guess.

Still, perhaps they should look on the bright side, at least they have a new scuba diving site with an interesting back story.

Re:Melodramatic much?

[Pascoea]

Geologic feature disappears, Slashdot readers are indifferent. Headphone jack disappears, Slashdot readers lose their mind.