Lots of activities are winding down with this cruise rapidly coming ot a close. Auctions and Sales Rooms are selling stuff and there will be a live auction tomorrow on the last day. Wonder?? What will I buy???
The
Galápagos Islands, official name: Archipielago de Ciolon are a cluster of
volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific
Ocean,
575 miles west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.
These
are unusual islands so a little history lesson. These Spanish speaking islands
were discovered in 1535 by a Dominican friar was blown off course when heading
to Peru, but it was not until the pirate Ambrose Cowley surveyed the islands in
1684 that they were recorded as being there.
The
group consists of 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets,
which is a very tiny land mass. The islands are located at the junction of 3
geological volcanic areas known as Plates which move approximately 2.5 inches
per year. They are also on top of a hotspot where the earth's crust is being
melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes.
Some
of the older islands have disappeared below the sea as they moved away from the
mantle plume, the youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina are still being
formed, with the most recent volcanic eruption in April 2009 where lava from the
volcanic island Fernandina started flowing both towards the island's shoreline
and into the centre caldera or cooking pot where steam explosions still
occur.
So
now we know not to go wandering off, especially in sandals, so let's enjoy a
guided tour of some of the many attractions
I hope I don't run into this guy on my tour of the island. Got to go to the beach.
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