Fernandina Island
Galápagos |
| Fernandina | |
|---|---|
Volcan La Cumbre | |
| Elevation | 1,476 m (4,843 ft) |
| Coordinates | 0°22′S 91°33′W / 0.37°S 91.55°W |
| Geography | |
  Fernandina | |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano |
| Last eruption | 2024[1] |
Fernandina Island (Spanish: Isla Fernandina) is the youngest and third largest island in the Galapagos, as well as the furthest west. It has an area of 642 km2 (248 sq mi) and a height of 1,476 m (4,843 ft), with a summit caldera about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) wide. It is younger than Isabela, being only less than one million years old since its formation. Like the other islands, it was formed by the Galápagos hotspot. The island is an active shield volcano that has most recently erupted in March 2024.
Names
Fernandina is named in honor of
Geography
Ferdandina is the youngest and third largest island in the
.Wildlife
Punta Espinoza is a narrow stretch of land where hundreds of marine iguanas gather in large groups on black lava rocks. The famous flightless cormorant inhabits this island as well as penguins, pelicans and sea lions. The Narborough Island tortoise is a highly elusive species of Galápagos tortoise restricted to the island, thought likely extinct when no sighting had been made for 113 years after 1906, one old female being found in 2019.[6]
Flora
Mangrove forests are also found on the island.
Volcanic history
Eruptions of La Cumbre have been recorded in 1825, 2009, 2018, 2020 and 2024.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "Fernandina". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ Kitchin, Thomas (1797), "South America", Kitchin's General Atlas..., London: Laurie & Whittle.
- ^ McEwen (1988), p. 235.
- ^ a b McEwen (1988), p. 236.
- ^ "Fernandina". Galapagos Conservancy. galapagos.org. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years found in Galápagos". The Guardian. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
Bibliography
- McEwen, Alec (July 1988), "The English Place-Names of the Galápagos", The Geographical Journal, vol. 154, London: Royal Geographical Society, pp. 234–242, JSTOR 633849.
External links
- Special Report: Volcano Erupts on Fernandina Island. Charles Darwin Foundation
- Fernandina
- Benjamin Morell and the Galápagos Eruption of 1825 Archived 2017-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
- Eruption on Isla Fernandina NASA Earth Observatory