Coastal erosion is actually quite a depressing topic, but we’re sure glad it presented us with this stunning video.
The craggy cliffs of Cornwall on England’s southwest coast have been battered by storms and weakened by rising sea levels. Increasingly, parts of the walkable coastline, which features stunning views from nearly vertical cliffs, are crumbling into the ocean.
A few lucky onlookers had a chance to witness the cliffs fracturing off, and one enterprising videographer decided to share the stunning scene with all of YouTube.
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User utubecamborne uploaded the video after witnessing the cliff collapse on September 23. In typical British understatement, the uploader notes “Very lucky to witness 1000’s of tonnes of rock falling into the Atlantic!” The cliff slowly peels away from the land as the camera rolls.
It does seem a bit odd that the camera was trained on the cliff just waiting for something to happen, but utubecamborne notes that there were several smaller cliff “failures” before the main event, which may have given a clue to a larger collapse. “There it goes,” one of the onlookers exclaims as a fracture appears in the rock, leading to its tumble into the ocean.
The uploader notes the cliffs were at least 150 feet high, and after seeing the dust plume that results, we fear for the future of the cliffs of Cornwall. Perhaps we should visit before the land keeps disappearing.
One Cornwall councilmember seems to have a less urgent attitude, though. According to the Daily Mail, maritime manager Andy Brigden told the Cornish Guardian: ‘These things happen. … My advice would be don’t sit in front of cliffs, especially when there are signs saying “beware of falling rocks.”
Nick Carbone is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @nickcarbone. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.
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