'Moai designs are getting lost': extreme weather chips away at Easter Island statues

Experts call for conservation action as the features on Rapa Nui's famous monoliths are eroded by fire and rainThe Ahu Tahai moai, on the east side of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is an impressive 4.5 metres high. Carved from a soft volcanic rock, the statue looks out solemnly over the island, with its back to the bay.The Tahai ("where the sun sets") and the island's other thousand or so moai were erected roughly between 1100 and 1700 as a representation of Rapa Nui's ancestors. Continue reading...