San Cristobal Island
We started the morning with a dinghy ride around an impressive formation called “Kicker Rock”, because it has the shape of a shoe. It’s really the Galapagos Nike! In Spanish it’s called “Leon Dormido” (sleepy lion) because it looks like the back of an Egyptian sphinx. Charles Darwin was the first to notice that the geological formations in the Galapagos Islands are eroded on their southeast side, due to the direction of the prevailing winds. Kicker Rock is an eroded parasitic tuff cone, which can be found near the coasts or just offshore from major volcanoes. The interaction of molten rock (ash-sized particles) and water leads to violent explosions. The particles forming an ash ring usually become agglomerated into a harder rock called “tuff”, either by heat of the eruption or by later cementation.
We returned to the ship after our cruises and repositioned to an area named “Cerro Brujo”, where we spent the rest of the morning on a glorious white sandy beach. The sea lions were resting near by or swimming in the water. Meanwhile, as we were walking along the beach, an American oystercatcher was taking care of its chick and the San Cristobal mockingbirds were flying back and forth ignoring our presence. They were keeping busy looking for food and water. This bird was also part of Darwin’s collection during his trip around the islands.
As we came back to civilization for a day, we took a bus ride to the highlands of San Cristobal, where we saw orange and banana crops and where cattle is being raised. We visited the only source of natural fresh water from the island. “El Junco” lake is on a crater 745meters above sea level and is named after the plant found around its edge. The area is surrounded by the endemic plant Miconia robinsoniana, which has a pink flower. Actually, is the only colorful endemic flower from the Galapagos. As there is a lack of pollinators, the endemic flowers are usually either yellow or white. Natural selection favored those individuals that had “easier” colors to see, due to specialized pollinators needing a specific type of flower color.
Finally, we spent some time in town shopping and visiting the Interpretation Center, which exhibits the natural and human history of the islands.
We started the morning with a dinghy ride around an impressive formation called “Kicker Rock”, because it has the shape of a shoe. It’s really the Galapagos Nike! In Spanish it’s called “Leon Dormido” (sleepy lion) because it looks like the back of an Egyptian sphinx. Charles Darwin was the first to notice that the geological formations in the Galapagos Islands are eroded on their southeast side, due to the direction of the prevailing winds. Kicker Rock is an eroded parasitic tuff cone, which can be found near the coasts or just offshore from major volcanoes. The interaction of molten rock (ash-sized particles) and water leads to violent explosions. The particles forming an ash ring usually become agglomerated into a harder rock called “tuff”, either by heat of the eruption or by later cementation.
We returned to the ship after our cruises and repositioned to an area named “Cerro Brujo”, where we spent the rest of the morning on a glorious white sandy beach. The sea lions were resting near by or swimming in the water. Meanwhile, as we were walking along the beach, an American oystercatcher was taking care of its chick and the San Cristobal mockingbirds were flying back and forth ignoring our presence. They were keeping busy looking for food and water. This bird was also part of Darwin’s collection during his trip around the islands.
As we came back to civilization for a day, we took a bus ride to the highlands of San Cristobal, where we saw orange and banana crops and where cattle is being raised. We visited the only source of natural fresh water from the island. “El Junco” lake is on a crater 745meters above sea level and is named after the plant found around its edge. The area is surrounded by the endemic plant Miconia robinsoniana, which has a pink flower. Actually, is the only colorful endemic flower from the Galapagos. As there is a lack of pollinators, the endemic flowers are usually either yellow or white. Natural selection favored those individuals that had “easier” colors to see, due to specialized pollinators needing a specific type of flower color.
Finally, we spent some time in town shopping and visiting the Interpretation Center, which exhibits the natural and human history of the islands.
