--- title: "New Mexico Rock Formations Collapse After Heavy Rains" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/tech/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/tech/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains" category: "Science & Tech" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-06T14:25:16.063Z" source_reported: "2026-11-06T10:38:40.000Z" updated: "2026-11-06T14:25:16.063Z" trust_score: 56 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 18 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-06T15:30:14.837395+00:00" --- # New Mexico Rock Formations Collapse After Heavy Rains *The Alien Throne and King of Wings formations succumbed to storms that dropped trillions of gallons of water.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 56 of 100, higher is better. Trust 56: includes named tour guide and specific location/date, but lacks multiple independent sources and sourced figures. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains significance, quotes affected guide, separates facts, provides specific names, dates, figures, and next steps. - Hype 18 of 100, lower is better. Hype 18: language is measured; headline matches article without sensational exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The rock formations known as the Alien Throne and the King of Wings in northwestern New Mexico collapsed in late October and early November 2026. - Tour guide Kialo Winters reported the collapse of the Alien Throne, describing the experience as "surreal." - Experts estimate over 20 trillion gallons of rain fell across the Four Corners states and Nevada during the period. - Officials estimate storm damage could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Two prominent rock formations in northwestern New Mexico, the Alien Throne and the King of Wings, have collapsed. These natural sculptures, formed by wind and rain over time, succumbed to heavy storms that affected the southwestern United States in late October and early November 2026. Tour guide Kialo Winters reported seeing the Alien Throne's collapse, calling the experience "surreal." The region experienced substantial rainfall, with experts estimating more than 20 trillion gallons of water falling across the Four Corners states and Nevada. This deluge caused flooding and erosion, contributing to the collapse of the formations. Officials have estimated that the damage from these storms could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. ## Disagreement on timing of King of Wings collapse Washington Top News reported that the Alien Throne and the King of Wings collapsed within weeks of each other. This outlet also stated that social media posts about the demise of the King of Wings began circulating in early October, and Winters had not seen other posts about the Alien Throne's status until he saw it on October 30. The Epoch Times digest stated the pillars collapsed "one after another" without specifying a timeframe. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated digests mention the estimated damage cost from the storms. None of the centre-rated digests mention the estimated damage cost from the storms. None of the right-rated digests mention the estimated damage cost from the storms. ## Who covered it Shares of the 21 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 62% (13) - Centre: 24% (5) - Right: 14% (3) 2 of 23 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-06T15:30:14.837395+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-06T16:15:36.291Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports focused on the collapse of the rock formations and the heavy rainfall that caused them. Multiple outlets highlighted that two iconic rock formations, the Alien Throne and King of Wings, had collapsed. The Associated Press, quoted by several digests, reported tour guide Kialo Winters describing the collapse as "surreal." ### Centre - Centre-rated reports highlighted the collapse of the Alien Throne and King of Wings formations due to heavy rain. Several digests mentioned that the formations had attracted tourists and photographers. The Washington Top News full report included details about the formations' cultural relevance to Native Americans and the specific date Kialo Winters discovered the Alien Throne's collapse. ### Right - Right-rated reports focused on the collapse of the two iconic rock formations, the Alien Throne and the King of Wings, due to heavy rain. Digests from this side stated that the formations had collapsed in recent weeks. MY Northwest and The Batesville Daily Guard digests included descriptive language about the natural sculpting of the landscape by wind and rain. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 10 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 9 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [大纪元 Epoch Times](https://epochtimes.com/b5/26/11/6/n14884612.htm) — The "Alien Throne," a Fantastical Stone Pillar in New Mexico, Collapsed After a Heavy Rain. - [Newser](https://newser.com/story/399549/iconic-rock-formations-collapse-in-new-mexico.html) — Iconic Rock Formations Collapse in New Mexico - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/national/2026/11/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding – WTOP News - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_699fcbe9-6792-51a4-b8f3-abc9c5132f7c.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern U.S. gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/new-mexico-wings-navajo-nation-visitors-experts-b3080229.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-desert-hoodoos-collapse-rain-a8ab9a1cc0dc71b0682586e0092ef16c) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/desert-icons-collapse-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-rain-137901779) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [MY Northwest](https://mynorthwest.com/national/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/4295617) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/new-mexico-wings-navajo-nation-visitors-experts-b3080229.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Independent Online](https://dailyindependent.com/national/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_d57a5d33-0c5c-579e-8c9f-c502896bb34b.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Oskaloosa Herald](https://oskaloosa.com/news/national_news/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_e75fad4a-9de3-5f28-862c-7a6ff1e64b8e.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel](https://gjsentinel.com/news/us/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_f81b9cf9-e5b7-54d1-ac2d-b02a4ec88f00.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Bluefield Daily Telegraph](https://bdtonline.com/news/nation_world/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_d97d8d18-ae6c-5e1c-8478-b775313a7c9d.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Batesville Daily Guard](https://guardonline.com/news/national/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_c9001313-3de9-57d6-aa85-99e35e636941.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [union-bulletin.com](https://union-bulletin.com/news/national/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_1cf0a09a-d1c1-5888-bf19-e695455f2c45.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/2026/11/06/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/life/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_5f5e064e-dc23-542a-812e-862a1efb157f.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [The Record](https://therecord.com/life/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_857e7fff-be9f-5578-a88c-5c0230199df5.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/life/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_1e8b1744-2d09-5bee-b8bf-0204ba71bfe4.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer](https://messenger-inquirer.com/ap/ap_national_news/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding/article_3fa9f082-ca23-5792-9124-c259d1d076b6.html) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding - [Durango Herald](https://durangoherald.com/articles/associated-press/desert-icons-collapse-as-southwestern-us-gets-pummeled-with-rain-and-flooding) — Desert icons collapse as southwestern US gets pummeled with rain and flooding ## Questions **What rock formations collapsed in New Mexico?** The rock formations known as the Alien Throne and the King of Wings, located in northwestern New Mexico, collapsed. These natural sandstone pillars were sculpted by wind and rain over time. **When did the formations collapse?** The collapses occurred during late October and early November of 2026. The King of Wings' collapse was noted on social media in early October, while the Alien Throne was discovered to have fallen on October 30. **What caused the formations to collapse?** The collapses were attributed to heavy rainfall and flooding across the southwestern United States. Experts estimated that more than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell across the affected region during that period. **What was the estimated damage from the storms?** Officials estimated that the damage resulting from the storms could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. This figure accounts for the widespread impact of the heavy rains and flooding across the region. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/tech/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "New Mexico Rock Formations Collapse After Heavy Rains", https://mediabias.news/tech/new-mexico-rock-formations-collapse-after-heavy-rains