QUITO, Ecuador (April 12) – Ecuador officials say a volcano is erupting in the Galapagos Islands and could harm unique wildlife.
The Galapagos National Park says La Cumbre volcano began spewing lava, gas and smoke on uninhabited Fernandina Island on Saturday after four years of inactivity.
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Blowing Their Tops
This photo, taken June 12 from the International Space Station, shows a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage. The volcano is Russia's Sarychev Peak on Matua Island in the Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan. The main plume appears to be a mixture of brown ash and white steam, NASA said. Click through to see other recent volcano eruptions.
NASA
NASA
The park says in a statement the eruption is not a threat to people living on nearby Isabela Island.
But it says lava flowing to the sea will likely affect marine and terrestrial iguanas, sea lions and other fauna.
The Galapagos are home to unique animal and plant species that became the basis for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Scientists say Fernandina is the island with the most volcanic activity in the archipelago. La Cumbre last erupted in May 2005.
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