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Once a renowned tourist hotspot in Taiwan, this rock formation, resembling an elephant's trunk, has collapsed and submerged, leaving many visitors saddened. According to an announcement from the Thuy Phuong district office in New Taipei City, the rock mass has long been evaluated to be at risk of erosion, and has been off-limits to tourists since 2010.
Shen Chuan-Choi, a professor of Geology at National Taiwan University, noted that the collapse of the rock formation is entirely natural due to continuous exposure to seawater and wind. Additionally, the arch shape of the rock formation has made it more prone to collapse.
The elephant trunk rock is situated in Shen'ao, a narrow strip of land approximately 10km from the famous tourist village of Cu Phan. Not only is the elephant trunk rock threatened, but also the 'Queen's Head' rock in Yehliu Geopark, Taiwan, faces a similar fate. It's named so because it resembles the bust of Queen Elizabeth with a long slender neck. According to media reports, the circumference of the Queen's Head rock is now less than 120cm, and it's thinning every year.
Previously, the renowned limestone rock - Azure Window in Malta, which was once a backdrop in the Game of Thrones series, also collapsed into the sea in 2017. Two years later, Malta announced plans to rebuild the arch using steel at the same location, but the project has yet to commence.According to CNN
