In 1835 Captain Fitzroy and HMS Beagle visited Galapagos as part of a five-year voyage to make navigational charts for the Royal Navy. On board was a young, unknown naturalist named Charles Darwin. Darwin made extensive collections of the plants and animals and was struck by the fact that closely related species were found on different islands, although he didn't realize the significance at the time and in some cases failed to label his specimens with their island of origin. After many years of research and thought he published The Origin of Species in 1859, which put forward the concept of evolution by natural selection. The importance of this theory, and of Galapagos, in the history of science cannot be over-estimated. The formation of the Galapagos archipelago is usually based on two theories:
. Beneath the earth's crust there are certain superheated areas that remain stationary (hot spot theory). From time to time their heat increases and results in a volcanic eruption. The hot spot that is the origin of the Galapagos lies obviously beneath the sea and the present-day islands are only the top part of huge undersea volcanoes.
. The other theory states there are tectonic plates that slowly drift over the earth's surface. The Galapagos rest on the Nazca plate that is gradually moving southeast.
That is why the oldest of the Galapagos Islands (about 9 million years old) are today deep under the ocean and lie about 700 km east of the archipelago (Cullen et al 1989). The oldest one of the contemporary islands is Espanola (about 3.3 million years old) and the youngest and today still the most active are Fernandina and Isabela (less than 750 000 years old).
This essay has the followings:
Total words: 2190
Total reference: 10
Total price: £ 49.95
Click here to Order this essay!
Get Professionally written Essays that are:
• Written According to your Exact Requirements
• 100% Original and Non-Plagiarized
• Written by Expert
UK Writers
• Delivered to you before your deadline
Amazingly Low Prices - £9.95/page
