| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Kenya |
| Part of | Lake Turkana National Parks |
| Criteria | Natural: (viii)(x) |
| Reference | 801bis-002 |
| Inscription | 1997 (21stSession) |
| Extensions | 2001 |
| Area | 500 ha (1,200 acres) |
| Coordinates | 3°29′30″N36°4′0″E / 3.49167°N 36.06667°E /3.49167; 36.06667 |
 | |
  Location of Central Island in Kenya | |
Central Island, also known asCrocodile Island, is a volcanic island located in the middle ofLake Turkana in Kenya. It is also the location ofCentral Island National Park, which is governed by theKenya Wildlife Service.[1]
Central Island is composed of more than a dozen craters and cones, three of which are filled by small lakes. The two largest lakes partially fill craters up to a kilometre wide and about 80 m deep, the floors of which are near sea level. The highest point on the dominantlybasaltic island reaches 550 m, about 190 m above the lake surface. An E-W-trending chain of small explosion craters cuts the eastern side of the 3-km-wide island. Several small islands to the SE represent partially submerged crater rims, and other cones andlava plugs lie beneath the lake surface near the island.
The youngest Central Islands tuffs and lavas may be as young asHolocene (Karson and Curtis, 1992).Fumarolic activity is concentrated along the NE-to-SE rim of the central crater, and sprays of sulfur from thefumaroles were observed by visitors in the 1930s. In 1974 intense emission ofmolten sulfur and steam clouds were seen from the mainland.[2]
