San Cristóbal Island

San Cristobal

Shield volcano · Ecuador · 707m

The NW coast of San Cristóbal Island contains numerous young pyroclastic cones, spatter vents, and lava flows. The island consists of a densely vegetated SW part and a lower, younger NE part with many extremely youthful lava flows. The tip of Kicker Rock, two steep-cliffed islands separated by a narrow cleft, is barely visible on the center horizon. Kicker Rock is an eroded remnant of a tuff cone that forms one of the scenic highlights of the Galápagos, 5 km off the west coast of San Cristóbal. · Photo: Photo by Ed Vicenzi, 2002 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons

Type: Shield volcano
Country: Ecuador
Region: Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions / Galapagos Hotspot Volcano Group
Elevation: 707m
Coordinates: -0.829, -89.429
Last eruption: Unknown
Tectonic setting: Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform: Shield
Major rock type: Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Geological summary

San Cristóbal Island consists of a densely vegetated western part and a lower, younger eastern part with many unvegetated lava flows. The morphology on the SW side of the resembles low-angle Hawaiian shields more than the steep-sided shields of Fernandina and Isabela Island. Most lava flows on the NE part of the island originated from SW-NE-trending fissures. Some of the flows have reached the sea, where littoral cones formed. The dates of the latest eruptions are unknown, but possibly less than 1,000 years old. Kicker Rock, two small islands about 5 km off the NW coast, is an eroded remnant of a tuff cone.

From Wikipedia

San Cristóbal Island, also known as Chatham Island, is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago, as well as one of the oldest geologically. It is administratively part of San Cristóbal Canton, Ecuador.

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Eruption history

Detailed timeline

No eruption records available.

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.