Volcanoes

Galapagos was born from volcanoes.

A shallow, just under the water volcano created large bursts of steam that threw a great explosions ash and rock. Over several months, there would be a barrage of these bursts. The result are cliffs that resemble the equivalent of geological rocky road ice cream.

Another volcano type here is your classic lava type. So there is lots of black rock that you can tell just flowed like treacle and moulded to its surroundings.

A cinder cone volcano is a result of a massive lava explosion causing gas bubbles to heat and then cool quickly. This makes a fine red sandy substance which when you add some pressure and a few years becomes rock. This rock flakes off and becomes sand again ready for the next volcanic eruption.

What volcanoes do is give an environmental restart. This is also what the Galapagos is about. What happens when a place reboots and is remote. What inhabits the place and how does the regeneration happen.