Pictures of Galapagos Islands Darwin’s Arch crashed into the sea | Natural Issues

Ecuador’s environment ministry says the collapse was caused by a landslide.

The famous Darwin’s Arch Monument, in the Galapagos Islands, has fallen into the sea as a result of erosion, say Ecuadorean environmentalists.

Pictures taken on social media by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment showing debris from the top of the monument crashed into the sea while two support poles remained.

“We are showing that the famous Darwin Arc has collapsed,” the ministry wrote in Spanish on its Facebook page Tuesday.

A 141-foot-high[141 m]rock structure, named after British naturalist Charles Darwin, stands in the far north of the Galapagos Islands and is home to some of the world’s most famous swamps.

The monument is located in the vicinity of Darwin Island, which is known for its diversity of waters, including schools of sharkhead shark.

“Obviously, all the people from Galapagos felt sorry for themselves because it is something we have known since childhood, and knowing that it has changed has surprised us,” said Washington Tapia, director of the Conservation at Galapagos Conservancy. “However, from a scientific point of view, it is a part of nature. This collapse is due to other factors such as weather and erosion occurring on our planet. ”

The Galapagos is a remote ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean (965 km) west of Ecuador and is home to a unique species of animals that inspired the British naturalist Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

The 234 islands, which are lined with rocks, are part of the national park and World Heritage page. Four of them live in the homes of about 30,000 people.