Volcanoes of the Galápagos Islands

[1] The largest island, Isabela, consists of six coalesced shield volcanoes, each delineated by a large summit caldera.

[1] The Galápagos are geologically young for such a big chain, and the pattern of their rift zones follows one of two trends, one north-northwest, and one east–west.

The composition of the lavas of the Galápagos shields are strikingly similar to those of the Hawaiian volcanoes.

[8][9][10][11] Cerro Azul is a shield volcano on the south western part of Isabela Island, and is one of the most active in the Galapagos, with its last eruption between May and June 2008.

The volcano is not directly on the hotspot, which is believed to be under the neighbouring island of Fernandina to the west.

The island has an active shield volcano, named La Cumbre, whose last eruption was on 15 May 2024.