A strong symbol, which proves the fragility of our natural heritage.
The emblematic arch of Tilleul beach, near Étretat (Normandy), recently collapsed, illustrating once again the vulnerability of these chalk formations, victims of erosion and climate change.
And the cliffs of Étretat are not the only ones to suffer the damage of time.
On every continent, many sites are disappearing or drastically changing shape, as
National Geographic
notes .
An ephemeral nature that has prompted some travelers to discover these natural gems before their final alteration.
Overview.
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In Europe
In 2019, visitors travel to the former location of the Okjökull glacier, located in Iceland.
Jeremy RICHARD / AFP
Tilleul beach is not the only one to have lost its arch.
In March 2017, Malta's famous 'Azure Window' collapsed due to high winds and high waves.
The huge arch, which had notably served as the setting in an episode of
Game of Thrones
, was a must-see tourist site on the island.
To prevent it, the Maltese government had even banned access a few months earlier.
Not enough to make the difference in the face of the unleashing of nature.
In 2005, the Finger of God (El Dedo de Dios, in Spanish), a pile located in the Canary Islands, Spain, also disappeared during the passage of a cyclone.
The rock formation gave the impression of a finger pointing upwards.
Another emblematic “death”: that of the Okjökull glacier, in Iceland.
A victim of global warming, the natural formation was officially declared dead in 2014, after 700 years of existence.
Now stands on its former location a commemorative plaque, installed in 2019.
Read alsoGlaciers, icebergs, geysers... Eight natural wonders to observe in Iceland
In North America
In 2017, the Pioneer Cabin Tree was decimated by a storm in California.
AFP PHOTO / CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
In the United States, as in Canada, nature has claimed many victims, starting with the Jeffrey pine.
The latter, which was at the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park, collapsed in 2003, swept by the wind.
The tree had been made famous in particular by the photographs of Ansel Adams in 1940, which revealed the resistance of the pine, but also showed its extreme resilience in the face of wind forces.
Others have also suffered the ravages of time, like the oak of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, considered one of the oldest white oaks in America.
In 2017, he was pronounced dead, leading to the felling of the 600-year-old tree.
History has it that it was at the foot of the latter that a picnic was held between George Washington and the Marquis de La Fayette, at the end of the 18th century.
The same year, the Pioneer Cabin Tree also disappeared.
This majestic sequoia, more than 45 meters high and whose trunk had been dug in the 19th century, had become over time a world attraction.
In 2017, a winter storm in California got the better of this tree, considered one of the most impressive in the region.
In terms of rock formations, the Wall Arch in Arches National Park (Utah) and Elephant Rock and Flowerpot Rock in Canada have also suffered landslides in recent years.
Humans have also done significant damage, such as the Slims River in Canada.
In the spring of 2017, this Yukon river disappeared in a matter of days.
In question ?
The melting of the Kaskawulsh glacier, favored by global warming.
The waters were diverted from the Slims River to feed another stream.
An event that many have described as “river piracy”.
Read alsoFrom Canada to Alaska, the Far North by canoe
In Oceania
In 2016, five strips of land in the Solomon Islands were submerged with rising waters.
Adobe Stock
Like many coral reefs, the one bordering Christmas Island (in Australia) - it is considered the largest coral atoll in the world - is seriously threatened.
In 2016, storms caused by El Niño caused a rise in water temperature, which damaged 80% of corals.
A drama, from which emerged a glimmer of hope in 2020, when researchers observed signs of the return of life in the damaged area.
In southern Australia, on the other hand, there is no room for optimism for the 12 apostles, limestone pillars once connected to the cliffs.
These towers, formed by erosion and the advance of the sea, are now only eight in number.
In 2005, one of the largest collapsed.
The others remain vulnerable to the natural elements.
Next to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands have suffered the brunt of the rising waters.
In 2016, five of them (Kale, Rapita, Rehana, Kakatina and Zollies) were swallowed up in this way.
Same phenomenon in Micronesia.
According to climatologist Patrick Nunn, the rising waters led to the total submersion of eight islands.
To make this observation, the researcher relied on the observation of satellite readings and testimonies from Micronesians.
These uninhabited strips of land were probably submerged between 2007 and 2014.
Read alsoFive nature experiences to enjoy on Kangaroo Island, Australia's biodiversity sanctuary
In Africa
In 2018, scientists sounded the alarm over the disappearance of the oldest baobabs in the world.
Here, a "young" baobab in Senegal.
JOHN WESSELS / AFP
Like other rock formations, one of the iconic arches at Legzira Beach south of Agadir, Morocco, collapsed in 2016, likely due to natural erosion.
The venue offered a popular sunset scene for locals and travellers.
However, there remains a second arch on this beach, although more massive and less spectacular.
If, in this example, nature has regained its rights, in other cases, the harmful influence of Man has caused the disappearance of some natural jewels, like the Ténéré tree, in the Niger.
It was a solitary acacia, once considered the most isolated tree in the world.
In 1973, a driver, probably drunk, knocked him down.
Since then, the
In Botswana, the Chapman Baobab, just as isolated as the Ténéré tree, fell in 2016. An event that also moved the international community.
In 2018, several researchers thus alerted to the disappearance of the oldest baobabs in Africa: the majority of them have seen their degeneration precipitate in recent years.
In question ?
Climate change, which has accelerated the aging process, with very high temperatures and droughts.
According to their study, 9 of the 13 oldest baobabs are partially or totally dead.
Some continue to resist, such as the sacred baobab of Fadial, in Senegal, which is over 850 years old.
Read alsoA more eco-responsible safari in Africa is possible!
In Asia
Everest, the roof of the world, in 2021. Pemba Dorje SHERPA / AFP
It was one of the big steps during the ascent of Everest, in Nepal.
The Hillary step, named in reference to Sir Edmund Hillary, probably disappeared during an earthquake that hit the region in 2015. This rock wall was considered very dangerous by climbers.
It is also not far from her that the mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev had found a body, suspended by ropes, in 1996.
Read alsoThese spectacular images of Everest were taken using drones
In South America
In the Galapagos archipelago, Darwin's arch collapsed in 2021, under the effect of erosion.
Adobe Stock
Before Okjökull, Chacaltaya Glacier in Bolivia bid farewell to the world.
18,000 years old, the glacial formation completely disappeared in May 2009, when scientists had assured that this would not happen before 2015. The rise in temperatures, linked to global warming, has accelerated the process.
On the side of the Galapagos archipelago, not far from the Equator, Darwin's arch was the pride of the region.
Nevertheless, like many others, this natural arch gave way under the effect of erosion in 2021. Today only the side columns remain.
Read alsoGalápagos: in the footsteps of Charles Darwin