Tofindtheislands,youmusttravelwestfromEcuador.FollowtheEquatoruntilyouseeland.You’llfind13largeislands(12shownonourmap).Therearealsosixsmallerones.WelcometotheGalápagos Islands!
Earth’ssurfaceismadeupoflarge,rocky tectonicplates.Theseplatesslowlymove.TheGalápagosIslandssitontheNazca plate.
FromtheDepths
BeneaththeNazcaplate
isahot spot.Acolumnofhotmeltedrockcalledmagmarises.Itreachesthesurface.Whenitspewsout,itbecomeslava.Itpilesup.Avolcanoforms.Thisishowthefirstisland,Española,formed.Tectonicplatesmove.Thehotspotdoesnot.Overtime,Españolawascarriedaway.Anewislandformedonthe hot spot.
Thisviewfromaboveshowsthevolcaniccratersonone island.
mapofEarth'stectonic plates
MovingIslands
IttookmillionsofyearsfortheGalápagosIslandstoform.AstheNazcaplatemoves,newislandsformoverthe hot spot.
Beforeyou read
EarthScience
EarthMaterialsandSystems
North
American
Plate
Eurasian Plate
Antarctic Plate
Australian Plate
Philippine
Sea
Plate
Pacific
Plate
Pacific
Plate
Nazca
Plate
South
American
Plate
African Plate
Caribbean
Plate
Arabian
Plate
Indian
Plate
Juan de Fuca Plate
Cocos
Plate
Scotia Plate