Genovesa Island

Infobox Mountain
Name= Genovesa Island
Photo=
Caption=
Elevation= Convert|64|m|ft|0|abbr=on
Location=Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Range=
Prominence = Convert|64|m|ft|0|abbr=on
Coordinates = coord|0|19|N|89|57|W|type:mountain_region
Topographic

Type=Shield volcano
Age=
Last eruption= Unknown
First ascent=
Easiest route=

Genovesa Island is a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The island occupies about Convert|14|km2|sqmi|0, and its maximum elevation is Convert|64|m|ft|0|abbr=on|abbr=on. The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs. Lake Arcturus, filled with salt water, lies in the centre, and sediment within this crater lake is less than 6,000 years old. Although no historical eruptions are known from Genovesa, there are very young lava flows on the flanks of the volcano.

Wildlife

This island is known as Bird Island, because of the large and varied bird colonies which nest here. There are an abundance of frigatebirds and it is the best place to see red-footed boobies, masked boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, tropical birds, finches and mockingbirds.

Prince Philip’s Steps is an extraordinary steep path that leads through a seabird colony full of life, up to cliffs that are 25m high. At the top, the trail continues inland, passing more seabird colonies in a thin palo santo forest. Leaving the forest, you can overview a rocky plain. The storm petrels here are different from any others in the world because they fly around during daytime. To avoid predators, they only return to their nest holes at night.

The smallest Marine Iguana in the archipelago lives here.

Recreation

In Darwin Bay there is the possibility to either dive along the inner wall or go to the outer wall, which is less protected. Another possibility is to dive from the outside of the volcano through the channel into the caldera.

References

*

External links

* [http://www.pgoimages.com/gallery.php?gall=g_galapagos_genovesa Images from Genovesa]