Earth:Redonda Rock

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Short description: Islet in the Galápagos Archipelago
Roca Redonda
025 Redonda Rock 1966 (51193656141).jpg
Redonda Rock (1966)
Highest point
Elevation67 m (220 ft)
Prominence67 m (220 ft)
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 0°16′N 91°38′W / 0.27°N 91.63°W / 0.27; -91.63
Geography
Roca Redonda is located in Galápagos Islands
Roca Redonda
Roca Redonda
Geology
Mountain typeShield volcano
Last eruptionUnknown

Redonda Rock[lower-alpha 1] (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. Redonda measures 100 m (330 ft) long and 50 m (160 ft) wide with a maximum elevation of 67 m (220 ft).[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. Potassium–argon dating of Redonda indicates that the islet is at least 53,000 years old.[3] However, it remains unknown when the last eruption occurred from the shield volcano. Several shallow submarine fumaroles exist around the island and may indicate that the volcano is still active.[5]

See also

  • Volcanoes of the Galápagos Islands
  • List of volcanoes in Ecuador

Notes

  1. The name sometimes also appears as Redondo Rock.[1][2]

References

Citations

  1. McEwen (1988), p. 235.
  2. Kitchin, Thomas (1797), "South America", Kitchin's General Atlas..., London: Laurie & Whittle .
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Roca Redonda". Smithsonian Institution. https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vnum=353807. 
  4. Hess, John (2009). The Galápagos: Exploring Darwin's Tapestry. University of Missouri Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8262-1837-7. 
  5. "The emergence of a Galápagos shield volcano, Roca Redonda". Springer-Verlag. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225670475. 

Bibliography