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Santiago Island

Santiago

Shield volcano · Ecuador · 920m

The elongated shield volcano of Santiago Island is dotted with Holocene pyroclastic cones. Fresh lava flows that blanket the flanks of the volcano originated from these cones. The 920-m-high summit ridge, lined with NW-trending cinder and spatter cones, is seen here from James Bay on the west side of the island. The James Bay lava flows (center) reached the coast along a broad front. They were dated by fragments of marmalade pots left by buccaneers in 1684 that were subsequently embedded in the lava flows observed by Charles Darwin in 1835.
The elongated shield volcano of Santiago Island is dotted with Holocene pyroclastic cones. Fresh lava flows that blanket the flanks of the volcano originated from these cones. The 920-m-high summit ridge, lined with NW-trending cinder and spatter cones, is seen here from James Bay on the west side of the island. The James Bay lava flows (center) reached the coast along a broad front. They were dated by fragments of marmalade pots left by buccaneers in 1684 that were subsequently embedded in the lava flows observed by Charles Darwin in 1835. · Photo: Photo by Lee Siebert, 1978 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Ecuador
Region
Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions / Galapagos Hotspot Volcano Group
Elevation
920m
Coordinates
-0.220, -90.770
Last eruption
1906
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

The elongated shield volcano of Santiago Island, also known as San Salvador Island or James Island, has numerous scattered Holocene pyroclastic cones. Fresh-looking lava flows from these cones cover the flanks. The summit ridge, lined with a chain of NW-trending cinder and spatter cones, is located at the NW end of the island. Prominent flank tuff cones occur at the western and eastern coasts. The most recent activity has been concentrated at the NW and SE ends of the island. The pahoehoe lava flows at James and Sullivan Bays, on opposite ends of the island, were erupted in the past few hundred years. The James Bay flows were dated by fragments of marmalade pots left by buccaneers in 1684 that were subsequently embedded in the lava flows described by Charles Darwin in 1835.

From Wikipedia

Santiago Island is one of the Galápagos Islands. The island, which consists of two overlapping volcanoes, has an area of 585 square kilometers (226 mi2) and a maximum altitude of 907 meters (2,976 ft), atop the northwestern shield volcano. The volcano in the island's southeast erupted along a linear fissure and is much lower. The oldest lava flows on the island date back to 750,000 years ago.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1759~1774 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1890~1904 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 017591788183218611890

Detailed timeline

  1. 1904VEI 0Observed
    1904 – 1906-12-15
    SE flank
  2. 1897VEI 0Observed
    1897 – Ongoing
    SE flank (Sullivan Bay?)
  3. 1759 (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1759 – Ongoing
    West flank (James Bay)

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.