Spectacular collapse of famous arch caught on camera

[Hum]

The arch at Tennessee Beach, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, had been photographed hundreds of times over the years, but never like this. Robert Wills captured the total collapse of the famous arch in photos. Wills called it "a spectacular event," one that lasted less than 10 seconds.

Over the holiday, Wills was on a short hike with his family to the beach in Marin County specifically to see the large waves that were forecasted with the passing storm.

"As we were admiring the waves, a crack and the ensuing sound of a waterfall of rocks caught our attention and everyone on the beach spun around to see a small stream of rock flowing down the cliff face below the arch," Wills wrote in a blog post last week. "This was exciting enough that we kept our cameras out and ready and our attention on the arch."

Two minutes later, a few chunks of rock fell from the underside of the arch before the arch started to buckle in on itself and squeeze out rock from beneath it, Wills related.

"The collapse of the arch followed and the entire surrounding hillside started to slip off into the ocean in a thundering roar as boulders the size of a piano crashed into the surf and the sand, sending up a large splash of debris that got me a little nervous despite my [more than 300-foot] distance," Wills wrote. "The small crowd of 15 or 20 people stood in awe, wondering if the show was over."

source

[Anibal P]

GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rohdekill]

never heard of it.

[Steven P. Administrators]

It's the end of the world!

[Crisp]

Godzilla!

[Draconian Guppy]

Oh dear I can just imagine people who take the end of the world things seriously.

"That arch was their for over thousands of years"... Yes and it's degradation is a normal process in rock cycles...

[daniel_rh]

Locally famous, and by the title I was hoping a video or at least an animated gif :blush:

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

i am surprised it had not been destroyed from earthquakes long ago.

[Pupik]

i am surprised it had not been destroyed from earthquakes long ago.

More surprising that it wasn't destroyed by the first rain it encountered (how many years ago). Wasn't that big of an arch.

[Growled Member]

I was somehow expecting a bit more.

[Hum]

They could always recreate the arch with cement. :p

[remixedcat]

They could always recreate the arch with cement. :p

Duct tape and TP rolls

[Growled Member]

Duct tape and TP rolls

Duct tape fixes everything. :D