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Published: June 13th 2014
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Rain on the Horizon
Sunrise from the ship
Today’s excursions were focused a bit more on the geology of the Galapagos. In the morning we awoke anchored near the large island of Santiago Island, which we had already visited on Monday. This time we were on the eastern side of the island for a landing at Sullivan bay. There was no opportunity to sleep in and it was difficult to get going for the 8am start. After breakfast we were ferried by Zodiac to a black desolate lava field. The hike took us around an older volcanic cone, reddish in color and perhaps a quarter mile in diameter. The cone was surrounded by the “new” black lava field that is approximately 100 years old. We marveled at the intricate rope-like formations in the surface of the lava that were formed as the cooling lava became more viscous before solidifying. Other formations called “hornitos” formed from bubbling lava are like giant glassy warts on the surface of the flow. Their nest-like appearance, one containing a round lava rock nestled inside like an egg, in combination with the organic rope-like structures of the lava field conjured imagery from the movie “Alien” and we speculated as to whether these natural formations were
Landing on Santiago
Zodiac landing on rope lava with Bartolome Island and Pinnacle Rock in the background
that movie’s inspiration. In only 100 years since the lava flowed, the field was extensively cracked and crumbling in places and not completely lifeless. The field is sparsely populated with a few pioneer plants such as the lava cactus, a very slow growing cactus that can thrive without any soil. Small, weed-like plants are a bit more numerous, but still not common. We saw a few lava lizards as well as some beautiful locusts that can live on the available plant matter. Apparently there are snakes too, but it was too cold for them (we were quite thankful for the cloudy skies; apparently this walk across a large, completely black, almost lifeless lava field can be outrageously hot on a sunny day, with reports of groups turning around, being unable to complete the walk). The dramatic landscape made it easy to understand the usually unfathomable slow process by which these desolate fields are gradually colonized, eroded, and changed into more hospitable land. As we rounded the cone, we saw a place where the recent lava flow stopped, leaving a stark border between the older, oxidized reddish rock and the new hardened river of black basalt. We were back on board
Lava Field on Santiago
The tour group in the background gives some idea of the scale of the lava field well before lunch and enjoyed some needed down time before the afternoon excursion. The afternoon walk was on the small island of Bartolome and consisted of a climb up to the top of a volcanic cone. The eroded remnants of a cone near the shoreline form “pinnacle rock” a stunning arrow of rock pointing skyward, like a massive monolith listing to one side, greeting us as we reached the beach. A sea lion, lounging in the landing area reluctantly jumped back into the ocean, probably judging that there was some risk one us would step on him while disembarking. The climb to the top is on a boardwalk/steps to minimize erosion. Although still quite barren, here there were many more pioneer plants that had established themselves. The climb up was a bit slow for our liking, as we needed to wait for some of the slower folks in our group. There were great views along the climb, but the best was of course at the top – sweeping views that included some lush green land bordered by desolate fields of lava as well as white coral sand. After taking in the views from the top we climbed back down the
Santiago Island
A stunning look at how the islands are forming with this new lava -- only 100 years old steps to the water and hitched a short Zodiac ride over to the coral sand beach by pinnacle rock. It was pleasant snorkeling, although at this point many of the fish have become familiar to us. The big score on this outing was Lauren’s sighting of an octopus. Back on board it was wine-tasting night, and we sampled a few South American wines. At dinner we were pleased to dine unaccompanied and talk amongst ourselves. We are somewhat curious to find that there are always more activities in the lounge after dinner, but we, as usual, were quite content to unwind with a little television before getting to sleep.
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