Fernandina Island (Isla Fernandina) is the most western island of the Galapagos Islands. It lies due west of Isabela Island and is the third largest and youngest island, being less than 1 million years old.
It first surfaced in 1684 on crude navigational charts that belonged to the British buccaneer Ambrose Cowley. In those days it was called Narborough Island in honour of Admiral Sir John Narborough, a distinguished English commander and future Admiral. Everntually, it was the Spanish name, Fernandina, that stuck, a tribute to King Fernando of Spain, who funded the voyage of Christopher Columbus.
Geology and Volcanic Activity
Fernandina Island is regarded as the most active volcanic area at the Galapagos Islands. Indeed, it sits in the very "hot spot" of volcanic activity that actually created the Galapagos. Lava flows gently and coninously into the ocean, even right now, leaving steam vapours as it does.
The island is most famous for its continuing series of volcanic eruptions. Many of the early visitors to the archipelago commented on dramatic changes in the landscape, smoking craters, and actual eruptions. The most famous of these is the description of a violent eruption in 1825 by Benjamin Morrell, the captain of the New York-based schooner Tartar. Another important historical event was the discovery and collection in 1906 by Rollo Beck of the California Academy of Sciences Expedition of the only giant tortoise ever found on Fernandina.
La Cumbre Volcano is a shield volcano similar to those found in the Hawaiian Islands. Its summit caldera is approximately 6.5 km wide. During an explosive eruption in 1968, the caldera collapsed, falling approximately 350 m. The northern floor of the caldera has intermittently held a small lake, whose size, boundaries and position have periodically altered during eruptions. Recent eruptions have occurred both in the caldera and on the outer slopes of the volcano, with some of them reaching the sea. Since the establishment of the Galapagos National Park in 1968, there have been 13 recorded eruptions on Fernandina, with some of them lasting for several days. The most recent eruptions were in May of 2005 and April 2009.
