Galapagos Volcano Eruption
By Jason Heller, May 31, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Source: Iol.co.za
A volcano in the Galapagos islands that spewed molten lava is not a
threat to 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island
officials said on Friday.
The 1 690-metre high Cerro Azul mountain started spewing lava on Thursday after 10 years of inactivity on the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago, a chain formed from volcanoes thrusting from the Pacific Ocean.
"There is no threat to the local human population ... nor for the tortoise population because lava rivers are flowing in the opposite direction," the Galapagos Park said in a statement after its rangers flew over the mountain to assess the eruption.
In the last eruption in 1998, rare tortoises were airlifted from around the crater on helicopters to escape the lava, but several massive turtles were burned...
The 1 690-metre high Cerro Azul mountain started spewing lava on Thursday after 10 years of inactivity on the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago, a chain formed from volcanoes thrusting from the Pacific Ocean.
"There is no threat to the local human population ... nor for the tortoise population because lava rivers are flowing in the opposite direction," the Galapagos Park said in a statement after its rangers flew over the mountain to assess the eruption.
In the last eruption in 1998, rare tortoises were airlifted from around the crater on helicopters to escape the lava, but several massive turtles were burned...
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