Volcanoes in the Galapagos

Throughout our whole trip in the Galapagos, we learned about and went to many places formed by lava. There is so much volcanic activity because the Galapagos is a hot spot. There are five hotspots around the world. Hotspots are places where there are lots of volcanic activity and frequent explosions. We saw a volcanic crater, walked in a lava tunnel, and hiked on a young lava.

First we saw a crater called “The Twins” that was formed by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Over time, plants have grown in it and animals have formed their habitats down there. It is about 280 meters deep.

Then we walked in a lava tunnel on Santa Cruz Island. I thought that it would be small and narrow, but it was the exact opposite! I would guess it was at least 5 stories high and 50 feet wide at points. It was lit, so we could see where we were going, but it was so cool! It had water dripping down that would echo through the whole tunnel. It was about a 20 minute walk but it felt like 5 minutes!

In Sullivan Bay on Genovesa Island, we walked over a young lava, which is lava that hardened to create a surface only 160 years ago. Some of the other volcanos are millions and even billions of years old. It was very cool to walk on because there was all different textures and it wasn’t a perfect, smooth surface. It was also right on the water, so many animals come to the young lava like sea lions, penguins, reef sharks, sea turtles, many fish, and a great amount of birds.

Overall, I enjoyed learning about the volcanoes on the Galapagos and then getting to experience them myself. I would recommend to go to all of those places if you visit the Galapagos.