El Dedo de Dios (translated: ''God's finger'') is a high

sea stack A stack or sea stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology. ...

in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northern part of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

, one of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. During Tropical Storm Delta in November 2005, the thin top of this geological formation broke off and fell into the sea.Gran Canaria pierde el 'Dedo de Dios'
at elmundi.es. It is one of the many natural monuments outside the coastal town of

Agaete Agaete is a municipality of Las Palmas province, on the Canary Islands, Spain. Geography It is in the north-west of Gran Canaria island, and is enclosed by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Gáldar to the north-east, and Artenara to the south. ...

on Gran Canaria. The peculiarly shaped rock has been an inspiration to many artists, and it is believed that the author Domingo Doreste was the first to name it God's finger. Geologically, the area is the oldest on Gran Canaria, having started to form around 14 million years ago. Over a period of 200–300,000 years, the oddly shaped monument was created from the

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

materials in the area.

Reconstruction

After "God's finger" broke off, investigations started on what should be done. Eventually, a commission of experts, set up by the town of Agaete, advised in March 2006 against reconstructing the natural monument and proposed to set up a plan for conserving what is left of the emblematic rock.

References

Stacks (geology) 2005 disestablishments in Spain Destroyed rock formations {{Canaries-geo-stub