Isabela & Fernandina Islands
We began our fourth day of this expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago with the thought of new and exciting discoveries to come. Today we were exploring the westernmost islands, which are Isabela, the largest, and Fernandina, the youngest, both of them located right over the hot spot of volcanic activity, and very rich in wildlife as well.
Early this morning we were invited to come to the outside decks to enjoy the beauty of the young volcanoes that form Isabela. These are shield volcanoes, known as such for their shape. They are formed by magma rich in silica, therefore with low viscosity. This is what makes it flow smoothly during the eruptions creating the gentle slopes of these huge volcanoes.
When we got closer to the rocks, we could observe the many species that populate the area. The Zodiacs took us into a cave carved in the volcanic ash, formed by wave action. There were blue footed boobies flying all around us, and quite a few brown noddy terns nesting along the cliffs.
The big surprise was to find several juvenile Galápagos penguins resting along the shoreline. Several green sea turtles were spotted from the boat, and everyone got the opportunity to see at least one oceanic sun fish, a very odd-looking fish of open waters.
We had a good morning with great sightings, and another fulfilling and fine day on our Galápagos Islands adventure.
We began our fourth day of this expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago with the thought of new and exciting discoveries to come. Today we were exploring the westernmost islands, which are Isabela, the largest, and Fernandina, the youngest, both of them located right over the hot spot of volcanic activity, and very rich in wildlife as well.
Early this morning we were invited to come to the outside decks to enjoy the beauty of the young volcanoes that form Isabela. These are shield volcanoes, known as such for their shape. They are formed by magma rich in silica, therefore with low viscosity. This is what makes it flow smoothly during the eruptions creating the gentle slopes of these huge volcanoes.
When we got closer to the rocks, we could observe the many species that populate the area. The Zodiacs took us into a cave carved in the volcanic ash, formed by wave action. There were blue footed boobies flying all around us, and quite a few brown noddy terns nesting along the cliffs.
The big surprise was to find several juvenile Galápagos penguins resting along the shoreline. Several green sea turtles were spotted from the boat, and everyone got the opportunity to see at least one oceanic sun fish, a very odd-looking fish of open waters.
We had a good morning with great sightings, and another fulfilling and fine day on our Galápagos Islands adventure.
