page_title: Fernandina Island
section_title: April 2009 Eruption
hierarchical_section_title: Fernandina Island / April 2009 Eruption
caption_attribution_description: English: This true-color image shows Isla Fernandina and its neighbor, Isla Isabela. A bank of clouds encircles the northern and western part of the island; a volcanic plume—probably ash and steam—streams westward (left) and spreads out over the ocean. The plume’s contours are more diffuse than the contours of nearby clouds.
context_page_description: Fernandina Island is the third largest, and youngest, island of the Galápagos Islands, as well as the furthest west. Like the others, the island was formed by the Galápagos hotspot. The island is an active shield volcano that has most recently been erupting since April 11, 2009.
  While anchored in Banks Bay, Captain Benjamin Morrell recorded one of the largest eruptions in Galápagos' history at Fernandina Volcano. His ship escaped to safety and his account of the event was preserved.
  Fernandina has an area of 642 km² and a height of 1,476 m, with a summit caldera about 6.5 km wide. The caldera underwent a collapse in 1968, when parts of the caldera floor dropped 350 m. A small lake has intermittently occupied the northern caldera floor, most recently in 1988.
  Due to its recent volcanic activity, the island does not present much plant life and has a mostly rocky surface. Visitors to Fernandina Island will be taken to see only the outskirts of the crater for safety reasons. Two types of lava flow can be observed, ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe.
context_section_description: The southern flank of the volcano La Cumbre had a fissure eruption that generated flows, which subsided within hours. Isla Fernandina supports wildlife that was threatened by the April 2009 burst of volcanic activity, according to rangers at Galápagos National Park. As the island has no human residents, no settlements were endangered. Park rangers and a passing tourist boat initially observed the volcano at 10:00 p.m. local time on April 10, 2009. A sparse human population in the western reaches of the Galápagos Islands means that volcanic activity is not always observed or reported as soon as it starts. The seismic station at Puerto Ayora, on the nearby island of Santa Cruz, recorded no earthquakes associated with this eruption.
caption: Fernandina Island during the April 2009 eruption as seen from space. Isla Isabela can also be seen to the east (right).
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