The Galapagos Islands are hailed for endemic wildlife seemingly unaware and uninterested in us humans looking on. Equally as fascinating and quintessential to any Galapagos trip is learning about the geology and the island’s creation. Let’s rephrase that. Ongoing creation. Right now the islands are alive! With volcano activity on both Fernandina (La Cumbre volcano) and Isabela Islands (Sierra Negra Volcano) it’s a fascinating time to be in the islands.
A team of geoscientists from Scotland’s Edinburgh University is currently conducting research in the islands. They’ve been tracking seismic movement on Sierra Negra Volcano looking for the connections between earthquake activity and volcanic activity. Large earthquakes from as far away as Mexico and Honduras have shown up as mini-earthquakes as the energy passes through the Sierra Negra volcano.
While all this is good for science and a natural part of islands formed by volcanoes, it does have the potential to affect some visitor’s trips. Mainly, and for obvious reason, no one is going to be hiking Sierra Negra while on Isabela. She’s oozing lava! Other sites on Isabela have not been affected. All Fernandina visitor sites are also still open.
