Santiago Island

Santiago Island

Santiago Island is made up of two overlaying volcanoes, with an area of 585 square kilometers and a maximum altitude of 907 meters on the top of the northwestern shield volcano. The island's oldest lava flows date back 750,000 years. Low-viscosity lava flowed long distances from the volcano's vents due to the low, flat top of the volcano. The volcanic origin of the island has resulted in the presence of Holocene pyroclastic rocks, which can be found throughout the island. Tuff cones formed by the rapid interaction of hot lava and water are visible on the eastern and western sides of the island. The volcano's summit is on the northwestern part of the island, and the last recorded volcanic activity on Santiago Island occurred between 1904-1906. As with the other islands of the Galápagos archipelago, Santiago Island is rich in wildlife, especially in species that are endemic to the Galápagos Islands. The Galapagos Fur Seal, Galapagos Sea Lion, Sally Lightfoot Crab, Marine Iguana, Galápagos Land Iguana, Bottlenose Dolphin, Rice Rat and Microlophus are some of the animals commonly seen on the island. On January 4, 2019, the Directorate of Galapagos National Parks and Islands Conservation reintroduced 1,436 Galápagos Land Iguanas onto Santiago Island after an absence of 180 years. The goal was to restore the ecological health of the island and give this iguana species a chance to thrive.