Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Nov 7

New Mexico's 15-Foot Alien Throne Collapses After Storms Dump Billions of Gallons

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Nov 7

New Mexico's 15-Foot Alien Throne Collapses After Storms Dump Billions of Gallons

Q: What other iconic badland monuments are secretly crumbling after the unprecedented storms that destroyed the Alien Throne?

The only other iconic badlands monument clearly reported as damaged in the same period is the King of Wings, another famous hoodoo near Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah and the Bisti badlands in northwestern New Mexico. Multiple reports say it was damaged or collapsed within weeks of the Alien Throne, with visitors posting images of its fallen “wing” in early October. Beyond that, there is no verified public accounting yet of which other monuments are “secretly” crumbling across the Four Corners. Officials and guides have said the full extent of storm damage may still be unknown because the region’s badlands are remote, road access was poor after flooding, and many formations have not been formally inspected. What is known is that prolonged, unusually heavy rain saturated the fragile sandstone and clay-rich badlands, accelerating erosion and structural failure. Tour guides and returning visitors had already noticed warning signs on some formations, including fresh holes in the Alien Throne and cracks near the base of the King of Wings. Rangers contacted at parks with major hoodoo landscapes — including Chiricahua, Goblin Valley, Gold Butte and Cathedral Gorge — said at the time that they had not documented comparable damage. So while more collapses are possible, no other specific iconic monuments were confirmed in the available reporting. In short, the King of Wings is the other known major casualty, and experts believe additional damage may exist but had not yet been documented.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 7

A 15-foot sandstone pillar known as the Alien Throne collapsed in northwestern New Mexico sometime between Oct. 18 and Oct. 30, leaving only a five-foot stump.
Billions of gallons of rain from damaging storms hit the state's northwest corner in recent weeks, apparently undermining the formation in the badlands near the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness.
Kialo Winters, a 51-year-old Navajo tour guide, said he discovered the loss while leading visitors back to the site on Oct. 30 after last seeing it intact on Oct. 18.
The formation, also called Tse Binaka Niyol in Navajo, stood on Navajo lands near Farmington and was known for its otherworldly shape of spines topped by ashen sandstone.