Isabela & Fernandina Islands
In the lifetime of an individual very few days are unforgettable; today we had one of these fascinating ones.
What we had experienced today, in the afternoon, will be treasured in our minds forever, as we had the privilege to witness a seismic event with no precedents while visiting Fernandina Island. We felt a 5.2 magnitude earthquake precisely when walking on the island. With mixed emotions we observed how thick clouds of dust started to rise up in the sky, just on top of the enormous volcano. Seconds after we felt the earthquake, radio messages among the Naturalists on the island transited back and forth commenting the enigmatic situation. Earthquakes are common things to happen in other regions in the world; however, the Galápagos lacks situations like that, and shakes are not at all frequent. Questions and expressions of wonder filled guests and naturalists faces, as we received news from the ship telling us that they felt it as well.
Right now we are all wondering and theorizing what was going on. With high hopes, we expected this event would involve a volcanic eruption, but little by little the big clouds of material slowly disappeared, and the illusion of a volcanic explosion dispersed as well. We kept talking about this unusual event for hours and perhaps, we will keep doing it for a long time.
At this very moment, I am writing this report not really knowing what really had happened, but we will try to keep you informed with whatever news we obtain, once the official reports are released.
What we suspect so far is that the quake provoked part of the internal wall of the volcano’s caldera to collapse. A tremendous quantity of energy was liberated and it produced the shaking of the whole island!
All of us who are part of Lindblad Expeditions in this part of the world, guests, staff and crew, were privileged to experience, first hand, this “not so usual” natural event in Galápagos.
Fernandina Island, a jewel on the crown in this paradisiacal archipelago, provided us today with a memorable event. The inspirational sense of wonder entrapped us all, and once more, it became an outstanding day!
In the lifetime of an individual very few days are unforgettable; today we had one of these fascinating ones.
What we had experienced today, in the afternoon, will be treasured in our minds forever, as we had the privilege to witness a seismic event with no precedents while visiting Fernandina Island. We felt a 5.2 magnitude earthquake precisely when walking on the island. With mixed emotions we observed how thick clouds of dust started to rise up in the sky, just on top of the enormous volcano. Seconds after we felt the earthquake, radio messages among the Naturalists on the island transited back and forth commenting the enigmatic situation. Earthquakes are common things to happen in other regions in the world; however, the Galápagos lacks situations like that, and shakes are not at all frequent. Questions and expressions of wonder filled guests and naturalists faces, as we received news from the ship telling us that they felt it as well.
Right now we are all wondering and theorizing what was going on. With high hopes, we expected this event would involve a volcanic eruption, but little by little the big clouds of material slowly disappeared, and the illusion of a volcanic explosion dispersed as well. We kept talking about this unusual event for hours and perhaps, we will keep doing it for a long time.
At this very moment, I am writing this report not really knowing what really had happened, but we will try to keep you informed with whatever news we obtain, once the official reports are released.
What we suspect so far is that the quake provoked part of the internal wall of the volcano’s caldera to collapse. A tremendous quantity of energy was liberated and it produced the shaking of the whole island!
All of us who are part of Lindblad Expeditions in this part of the world, guests, staff and crew, were privileged to experience, first hand, this “not so usual” natural event in Galápagos.
Fernandina Island, a jewel on the crown in this paradisiacal archipelago, provided us today with a memorable event. The inspirational sense of wonder entrapped us all, and once more, it became an outstanding day!
