MUNISING, Michigan — A tourist captured the spectacle of a lifetime while visiting Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior's southern shore.
John Martin and some friends were on the water on a pontoon boat last weekend when they heard popping and cracking sounds from the sandstone cliffs.
Moments later, a 60-meter wide section of rock broke away and plummetted into the lake, creating three to four-meter high waves.
Martin recorded video of the entire event which was posted to Marquette TV station WLUC's Facebook page.
The Pictured Rocks cliffs, just east of the town of Munising, tower 15 to 60 meters above Lake Superior, and stretch for about 24 kilometres.
The name comes from streaks of mineral stain that decorate the face of the weather-sculpted sandstone.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, because sandstone is soft it is constantly eroding.
The last time a large section broke away was in 2019 when a group of kayakers narrowly missed being hit by falling rock.
