The Amazing Galápagos Islands - How They Were Born

Hello, young geologists! I'm Geo, your guide to the incredible story of how the Galápagos Islands were born from fire and water! 🌋

The Galápagos Hotspot

Deep beneath the ocean floor, there's a massive "hotspot" of superheated magma that has been erupting for millions of years! Think of it like a giant underground blowtorch that never turns off. These underwater volcanic explosions built mountains on the seafloor until they grew tall enough to peek above the waves - creating our amazing islands!

The Conveyor Belt Effect

Here's the really cool part - the islands sit on a giant tectonic plate called the Nazca Plate that moves eastward like a slow conveyor belt! As the plate moves, it carries older islands away from the hotspot while new ones form. That's why the western islands (like Fernandina) are young and still erupting, while the eastern islands (like Española) are older and more eroded.

Shield Volcanoes

The Galápagos volcanoes are called "shield volcanoes" because they're shaped like a warrior's shield lying flat. Our lava is so hot and runny that instead of building steep, pointy cones, it spreads out wide and flat. This creates those gentle, sloping sides you see on our islands.

Ages of the Islands

Ready to explore our volcanic origins?