To find the islands, you must travel west from Ecuador. Follow the Equator until you see land. You’ll find 13 large islands (12 shown on our map). There are also six smaller ones. Welcome to the Galápagos Islands!
Earth’s surface is made up of large, rocky tectonic plates. These plates slowly move. The Galápagos Islands sit on the Nazca plate.
From the Depths
Beneath the Nazca plate
is a hot spot. A column of hot melted rock called magma rises. It reaches the surface. When it spews out, it becomes lava. It piles up. A volcano forms. This is how the first island, Española, formed. Tectonic plates move. The hot spot does not. Over time, Española was carried away. A new island formed on the hot spot.
This view from above shows the volcanic craters on one island.
map of Earth's tectonic plates
Moving Islands
It took millions of years for the Galápagos Islands to form. As the Nazca plate moves, new islands form over the hot spot.
Before you read
Earth Science
Earth Materials and Systems
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