Redonda Rock

Redonda Rock[a] (Spanish: Roca Redonda, "Round Rock") is a flat-topped, steep-sided islet located roughly 25 km (16 mi) northwest of the island of Isabela in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands.

[3] Its isolation and inaccessibility coupled with its rocky cliffs riddled with crevices and crossed by ledges has made Redonda a haven for nesting seabirds.

[4] This small volcanic island is the remains of a large shield volcano that has vastly eroded away below sea level.

Several shallow submarine fumaroles exist around the island and may indicate that the volcano is still active.

[5] Herman Melville described the rock in detail in his short story The Encantadas.