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Galapagos Islands Research Paper

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Discovered in 1535, the Galapagos Islands have been a place of mystery and wonder for centuries. The Galapagos Islands are a group of volcanic islands located approximately 1000 kilometers west of the South American coast on the equator. Thirteen main islands make up the island chain, along with 6 smaller islands and numerous other islets, small rocks, and pinnacles, with a total land surface area of approximately 8,000 square kilometers. The islands are known for their unique species of countless different animals, found nowhere else in the world, and for the discoveries made by Darwin at this island chain. The Galapagos Islands are unique in many aspects, including the hot spot underneath, the plate tectonics, the two different volcano types …show more content…

These crater like volcanoes are quite an uncommon occurrence, although they are not unique to just the Galapagos. However, the unusual part of these calderas is their size, especially compared to their relation to the size of the volcano. Calderas form after a collapse of a magma chamber located under the surface. The magma in these chambers give support to the volcano, but after the magma withdraws, the surrounding rock becomes unsupported and cannot bear the weight above them, and therefore they collapse. These calderas do not form in just one collapse; they slowly grow after many collapses. This was proven after a partial collapse of the caldera on Fernandina in 1968, as part of the crater dropped nearly 200 meters. Several other smaller collapses have occurred on Fernandina as well as other islands since the collapse in 1968. These calderas can also be refilled with magma, partially or all the way, and then reform. An example of this is Isla Marchena, located in the northeast, which has nearly been filled all the way with lava. If these calderas drop below sea level and part of the rim breaks, the caldera can form a bay just as Genovesa’s caldera

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