Fernandina Island

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. Like the other islands, it was formed by the Galápagos hotspot. The island is an active shield volcano that has most recently erupted in April 2009.

Fernandina Island
(Narborough Island)
Fernandina Island is located in Galápagos Islands
Fernandina Island
Fernandina Island
Geography
LocationGalápagos Islands, Ecuador
Coordinates0°22′S 91°33′W
ArchipelagoGalápagos Islands
Area642 km2 (248 sq mi)
Highest elevation1,476 m (4843 ft)
Highest pointVolcan La Cumbre
Administration
Ecuador
ProvinceGalápagos
Fernandina
Fernandina Island (centre) and Isabela Island
Highest point
PeakVolcan La Cumbre
Elevation1,476 m (4,843 ft)
Coordinates0°22′S 91°33′W
Geography
Geology
Mountain typeShield volcano
Last eruption2020[1]

Names

Fernandina is named in honor of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, one of the sponsors of Christopher Columbus's voyages. It was formerly known in Spanish as Isla de Plata ("Silver Island")[2] and in English as Narbrough[3] or Narborough Island, honoring Admiral John Narborough who commanded a British Navy squadron in the West Indies.[4] The name was bestowed by the English pirate William Ambrosia Cowley in 1684 and preserved for centuries thereafter.[4]

Geography

Ferdandina is the youngest and third largest island in the Galapagos, as well as the furthest west.[5] 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. The caldera underwent a collapse in 1968, when parts of the caldera floor dropped 350 m (1,150 ft). A small lake has intermittently occupied the northern caldera floor, most recently in 1988. Due to the recent volcanic activity, the island does not present much plant life and has a mostly rocky surface. Visitors to Fernandina Island will be taken to see only the outskirts of the crater for safety reasons. Two types of lava flow can be observed, ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe.

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.

History
La Cumbre volcano, viewed from the ISS, July 2002
Fernandina Island during the April 2009 eruption as seen from space. Isla Isabela can also be seen to the east (right).

On 14 February 1825, while anchored in Banks Bay, Captain Benjamin Morrell recorded one of the largest eruptions in Galápagos' history at Fernandina Volcano. His ship escaped to safety and his account of the event was preserved.[7]

The southern flank of the volcano La Cumbre had a fissure eruption that generated flows in April 2009, which subsided within hours. Isla Fernandina supports wildlife that was threatened by the burst of volcanic activity, according to rangers at Galápagos National Park. As the island has no human residents, no settlements were endangered. Park rangers and a passing tourist boat initially observed the volcano at 10:00 p.m. local time on April 10th. The sparse population of the western reaches of the Galápagos Islands means that volcanic activity is not always observed or reported as soon as it starts. The seismic station at Puerto Ayora, on the nearby island of Santa Cruz, recorded no earthquakes associated with this eruption.[8]

See also

References

Citations
  1. "Fernandina". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  2. Kitchin, Thomas (1797), "South America", Kitchin's General Atlas..., London: Laurie & Whittle.
  3. McEwen (1988), p. 235.
  4. McEwen (1988), p. 236.
  5. "Fernandina". Galapagos Conservancy. galapagos.org. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  6. "Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years found in Galápagos". The Guardian. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. Kricher, John C. (2006). Galapagos: A natural history. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-691-12633-3. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  8. "Galapagos volcano erupts, could threaten wildlife". 2009-04-15. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2016-11-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

Bibliography
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