A volcano that started erupting on one of the Galapagos Islands last week may be changing the landscape of the island.
According to the Associated Press, rangers and tour guides spotted lava flowing down the northeastern flank of the Cerro Azul Volcano on the Island of Isabela late on Wednesday. The volcano had erupted last Thursday through Sunday as well.
"What we saw during the flight was a rather big fissure, approximately 437 yards long, that was spewing magma approximately 66 yards into the air."
Scientists feel the volcano may be changing the geography.
"We saw that, for example, the blue lagoon that was in the crater before is no longer there, the green lagoon is somewhat dry, and we also detected a volcanic vent."
Cerro Azul, one of five active volcanos on the island, last eruputed in September 1998, causing minor damage to plant life. The volcano is located on the unpopulated southwestern corner of the island. The Galapagos Islands are known for unique plant and animal life, and it's part of the inspiration for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Notes:
The Galápagos Islands (Official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos, from galápago, "saddle"—after the shells of saddlebacked Galápagos tortoises) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator, 525 nautical miles (972 km/604 mi) west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific OceanCoordinates: 0°40′S, 90°33′W.
Cerro Azul ("blue hill" in Spanish) is an active stratovolcano located in central Chile, immediately south of Descabezado Grande volcano. The volcano is capped by a 0.5 kilometres (0.3 mi) wide summit crater that is open to the north. Numerous scoria cones and flank vents are found on the lower slopes.
Vocabulary Mix:
magma: n molten rock found beneath the earth's crust
lagoon: a small lake which is not very deep, near a larger lake or river |