Natural and manmade forces continue to reshape Earth’s landscape.
Jeffery Pine, Yosemite National Park
The dead and wind-battered Jeffery pine atop Yosemite’s Sentinel Dome, made famous by Ansel Adams, finally toppled in 2003. Some say the only tree in the scenic vista was one of the world’s most photographed trees, having been the star of glass plate images as early as the 1860s.
Photograph by Harald Sund
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Slim River, Canada
In spring 2017, an entire river in Canada’s Yukon territory vanished seemingly overnight. The culprit was the retreat of the massive Kaskawulsh Glacier whose meltwater diverted from the Slim River to feed a different river. Scientists called it the first case of “river piracy” in modern times. These changes are also shrinking the Yukon’s largest lake. You can see Kluane Lake’s receding shoreline along Alaska Highway 1 and from points within Kluane National Park and Reserve.
Photograph by Alan Majchrowicz
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Elephant Rock, Canada
Some 200 tons of rocks toppled from New Brunswick’s “Elephant Rock” Flowerpot Formation last spring, turning a peephole into a pile of rubble. The scenic spot in Hopewell Rocks Park was one of the most popular stops for travelers taking in the remarkably wide-ranging tides of the Bay of Fundy.
Photograph by Mike Grandmaison
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Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, Australia
There’s a few less apostles in Australia’s Twelve Apostles Marine National Park. In 2005, one of the largest and most intricate of the offshore sea stacks crumpled into dust in front of a watching family. Already the remnants of pummeled cliffs, the heavy surf there means the remaining seven apostles aren’t far behind.
Photograph by David Noton
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Legzira Beach, Morocco
Paragliders, surfers, fishermen, and a handful of in-the-know visitors who frequented Legzira Beach outside the city of Sidi Ifni in Morocco mourned when its twin red sea arch succumbed to the weight of the massive cliff above it in 2016. The rust-colored hideaway was a popular sunset scene; a similar setting can be found in the Jurassic-era red sea stacks of Landram Bay in Devon, England.
Photograph by Zzvet
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Landscapes shape our sense of place, yet Earth is constantly changing. The forces of volcanism, wind, water, sun, and, yes, humans, conspire to transform what has been crafted into familiar terrain over millennia—pummeling cliffs into beaches, eroding vast canyons, forming new land with bubbling lava, and shifting the course of mighty rivers.
more by Meghan Miner Murray
at National Geographic