Santa Cruz

Shield in Ecuador

Key Facts

Elevation

864 m (2,835 ft)

Type

Shield

Location

-0.620°, -90.330°

Region

Galapagos Hotspot Volcano Group

Rock Type

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Location

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Overview

The highlands of the broad Santa Cruz shield volcano rise to the N above the Charles Darwin Research Station at Academy Bay. The oval-shaped, 32 x 40-km-wide island is capped by youthful pit craters and cinder cones with well-preserved craters that largely bury a shallow summit caldera. Older uplifted submarine lava flows are found on the NE part of the island and at the fault-delimited offshore island of Baltra.

The highland scoria cones are grouped along an E-W belt parallel to recent fault scarps that border Academy Bay. The youngest lava flows were erupted from vents along the summit fissure and on the N flank. Their fresh morphology and sparsely vegetated surfaces suggest they may be only a few thousand years old, although their ages are not known precisely.

Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment

Primary Hazards

Risk Level

Population at RiskModerate

Infrastructure RiskModerate

Aviation RiskSignificant

Geological Composition & Structure

Rock Types

Primary

Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Silica Content

Low (45-52% SiO₂)

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone

Continental rift or intraplate setting with varied eruptive styles.

Age & Formation

Epoch

Holocene

Evidence

Evidence Credible

Eruption Statistics & Analysis

Metric	Value	Global Ranking	Significance
Total Recorded Eruptions	Unknown	Low	Moderately active volcano
Maximum VEI	VEI Unknown	Minor	Local impact potential
Recent Activity	Unknown	Historical	Historically active

Monitoring & Alert Status

Monitoring Networks

Global Volcanism Program

International eruption database

Current Status

Normal

No recent activity. Routine monitoring continues.

Nearby Volcanoes in Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions

Regional Volcanic Activity

The Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions contains multiple active volcanic systems. Cross-regional magma interactions and tectonic stresses can influence eruption patterns across the entire arc. Monitor regional seismic activity and volcanic alerts.

Quick Info

•Smithsonian ID: 353091
•Evidence: Evidence Credible
•Epoch: Holocene

About the Photo

The broad shield volcano forming Santa Cruz Island is seen from its northern coast. The oval-shaped, 32 x 40 km wide island is capped by cinder cones with well-preserved craters that largely bury a shallow summit caldera. The highland scoria cones are grouped along an E-W belt parallel to recent fault scarps that border Academy Bay, location of the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 2006 (Smithsonian Institution).