Formation. An Eruption. An unchanging process. A process repeated over and over since the earth’s creation. The chemistry and physics have not altered. The process does not evolve. It is only our understanding that has changed. James Hutton 1726-1797 considered the father of modern day Geology made this observation: “The past history of our globe must be explained by what can be seen to be happening now. No powers are to be employed that are not natural to the globe, no action to be admitted except those of which we know the principle.” The myriad of concoctions might create different flavors, but the process is completely duplicatable.

Charles Lyell 1797-1875 furthered the science when he wrote the epic “Principles of Geology” (1830) basing these “principle” on natural causes as the foremost explanation for geological history. Charles Darwin, his friend, and burgeoning geologist took these freshly printed editions when he left on this journey in 1831. Applying what he learned, much of the voyage of the Beagle is of his Geological observations. Still out of this voyage came “On the origin of the Species”, his epic contribution to our understanding of life.

Years later when the world was wrapped up with the theory of evolution, a second controversy between Charles Darwin and Alexander Agassiz (son of the renowned paleontologist Louis). Through observation, Darwin posited that the formation of the volcanic islands and atolls were connected by a natural process involving Volcanoes sinking into the sea. Battling the question – not having empirical evidence, without the physics, or knowledge of the entire global clockwork of moving plates, molten mantle with convective currents, composition of basalt, build rates of coral colonies, the same inductive reasoning that led Darwin to come to his conclusions on evolution proved to correctly identify the natural causes of the formation of the Galapagos.

Perhaps only to the geologist was this so profound. Then again, our expedition leaders were geologist, not unlike Alexander and Charles, a Paleontologist and Geologist, so we could be profound. Whilst we had to settle for the twisted tortured pa hoe hoe, the lava tubes, the layered tuffacious sandstone, and only a brief debate as to whether this was sedimentary or volcanic (It is caused by a volcano but laid down as a sediment)

Formation. The beginnings, the eruption, around 14 million years ago. On January 12th 2020 while we were cruising the waters surrounded the island, it continued. Fernandina volcano (Cerro La Cumbre) was belching super-hot magma skyward while pouring lava streams, and depositing ash on its flanks. Continuing the building of the Galapagos. But Isabela Island, the tallest of the chain, lay between us and the fiery skies. We made the desperate appeal to the captain to change course and head there. No need for naturalist investigation of the flora and fauna. Alas, we were thwarted by regulation and process (and possible mutiny by the biologist).

The formation of the newest lands lay to the west. The islands diminishing in size in the East. Something was moving the forges of the earth to continue to build leaving behind the artifacts of its creation behind. Formation of new land represent direction of travel of the underlying Nazca plate. Building new, fresh sterile soils to be the next experimental testing grounds for evolution. Each island aging with a slightly different ecosystem. The older now extinct volcanic islands no longer growing as they had moved on. The engine of plate tectonics moved them past the hot spot of magma deep beneath the crust. Slowly sinking. Where their once tall peaks could scrape the moisture out of the air to form microclimates in the higher elevations, they become more arid, until all that is left are the remnants, the ancient memories of formation.