Lava tubes are formed as molten rock flows seaward. The sea boils, steam rises and fishes float lifeless to the surface.
Fernandina Island is a class book example of a "Shield Volcano", with a single Caldera, the rim of which is 4,900 feet above sea level. The island maintains the reputation of the Galapagos as one of the world's most volcanically active Archipelagos.
Fernandina may well be the only island in the tropics of the world which is free of introduced animals. The last refuge for flightless cormorants and the Galapagos Penguin, Fernandina has only within the past few years been impacted by the activities of man.
