Galapagos Volcano Eruption

However, it is that same volcanic force the only one which can create new land.

The Galapagos belong to the category of island oceanic volcanism, which differs from continental volcanism in many ways.



Thus, island volcanoes have a different morphology, and at the moment of an eruption, they differentiate even more. The chemical composition of each type of volcano makes them different too.

Island volcanism is that of oceanic volcanic islands, just like Iceland, Hawaii, Azores, Canary, and of course, Galapagos.

They launch their volcanic platform at bone-crushing depths, and the summit of this giant submarine mountain is what comes out of the water. That summit is what we call an island.

Galapagos volcano eruption frequency, although hard to predict with accuracy, has been calculated in periods of every six years. The western islands are the ones likely to erupt with such frequency.

The islands' last eruption was this year October 2005, and it happened on Isabela Island (the biggest island in Galapagos).

This Galapagos volcano eruption had a fissure that generated flows, and they headed straight down after few hours of the activity. These flows, undoubtedly lethal because of their temperature, seemed like hot fudge running down a cold scoop of ice cream.

This analogy, although strange by concept, is very close to what happens in reality: a hot semi liquid material running over a cold surface.

Continental volcanoes like Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Galeras in Colombia, Popocaeptl in Mexico, Fujiyama in Japan, etc, have more explosive eruptions, which make the volcano grow differently.



The classical conic shapes of volcanoes are found more over the continental platform, and those of dome shape to island platforms.

The Galapagos Islands allows the visitor to discover sites that are geologically quite diverse, and very different in age. For example, the western islands are the youngest ones, they are remarkably different from their eastern counterparts, and are higher more massive structures.

The central islands have intermediate ages. This diverse world cannot be appreciated, nor witnessed in a short-day visit. Therefore, this is another great reason for recommending the week expedition, which does arrive to the more remote locations.

Although Galapagos volcano eruption and geology is not an attraction like that of the flora and fauna, its unique landscapes are rewarding reasons to be photographed and admired.

Next time you look at the Galapagos volcanoes, pay closer attention to their overall role in the theory of natural selection.

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