Fernandina volcano in the Galápagos exhibits steep upper flanks formed by eruptions of lava flows from circumferential fissures around a summit caldera rim, contrasting with the broad, low-angle lower flanks. Scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Charles Darwin Research Station conduct measurements on a pahoehoe lava flow near the SE coast. Young, unvegetated lava flows cover the flanks.

Photo by Chuck Wood, 1978 (Smithsonian Institution).

Keywords: shield volcano | lava flow | pahoehoe | field work | volcanologist | volcano monitoring

Fernandina