Darwin Island (Spanish:Isla Darwin) is an isolated northern member of theGalápagos Islands inEcuador, the uppermost extent of anextinct volcano. It has an area of 1 square kilometer (0.4 sq mi) and reaches 165 meters (541 ft)above sea level. Visits to the island are restricted by theGovernment of Ecuador, butscuba diving is permitted.

Darwin Island
(Culpepper Island)

Darwin Island (Culpepper Island) Location in the Galápagos Islands
Geography
Location	Galápagos Islands,Ecuador
Coordinates	1°40′41″N92°00′11″W / 1.678°N 92.003°W /1.678; -92.003
Archipelago	Galápagos Islands
Administration
Ecuador

Darwin Island

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Location of Darwin Island in the Pacific Ocean

Darwin is named in honor of theEnglishscientistCharles Darwin,^[1] whosevisit to the Galapagos led him to publish his theories onevolution inOn the Origin of Species and other works. He is also the namesake of Great Darwin Bay onGenovesa Island. Darwin Island was previously namedLord Culpeper's Island,^[2]Culpepper's Island, andCulpepper Island in honor ofThomas Colepeper, 2ndBaron Colepeper. The name was bestowed by the pirateWilliam Ambrosia Cowley in 1684^[1] and continued in use for centuries thereafter.

The group formed by Darwin and nearbyWolf Island is now known asDarwin and Wolf,Darwin–Wolf, or Darwin-Wolf. It was previously known in English asCulpepper and Wenman and in Spanish asLos Hermanos ("The Brothers")^[3] orlos Dos Hermanos ("the Two Brothers").^[4]

Darwin Island is the remains of an extinct volcano that reaches 165 meters (541 ft)above sea level. It is among the smallest in theGalápagos Archipelago with an area of just one square kilometre (0.4 sq mi). It is situated north-west of the main Galápagos Island group on the Wolf-Darwin Lineament, which extends from the Galápagos Platform to theGalápagos spreading center, a mid-ocean ridge separating theNazca andCocos tectonic plates. The formation of Darwin Island is different from the formation of the main Galápagos Islands. There are currently two theories on the formation of thelineament: the first is thatmagma rising from the mantle plume forming the main Galápagos Islands has been channelled towards the Galápagos spreading center; alternatively there has been a separate rise in magma caused by stress in the oceanlithosphere by atransform fault.^[5]

Darwin Island is the most northerly of the two peaks on the Wolf Darwin Lineament that reach above the surface. The other,Wolf Island, is approximately 40 km (25 mi) away, although there are other sub-surface peaks. The volcano that forms the island is extinct, with the last eruption believed to have been approximately 400,000 years ago,^[6] making it younger than Wolf. The lava flows around Darwin are homogenous, apparently because of its young age, and they have a similar chemical composition to those of the Galápagos spreading center.^[7]

Darwin is believed to have had at least two eruptive periods in its history, depositing two tuff layers separated byplagioclase ultraphyricbasalt. Evidence also exists to suggest that Darwin Island is the remains of what was once a much larger edifice.^[7] Since the eruptive phase this would have been eroded.

Darwin's Arch, a natural rock arch which would at one time have been part of this larger structure, was located less than a kilometer from the main Darwin Island, and it was a landmark well known to the island's few visitors, until its collapse in May 2021.^[8]

Darwin Island is not open to land visits. With no dry landing sites, Darwin Island's main attractions are found in thePacific Ocean, which is teeming with a large variety ofmarine life. The only visitors are those that come to scuba dive, even here due to the distance from the main island only a limited number ofliveaboard ships cruise here.

The marine life at Darwin is diverse with large schools of fish. The island's waters attractwhale sharks from June to November, as well ashammerhead,Galápagos,silky andblacktip sharks. In additiongreen turtles,manta rays anddolphins can be found.^[9]

The island also supports a large bird population, includingfrigatebirds,red-footed boobies and thevampire finch.

Although the island had been marked on maps, the first known landing on Darwin did not occur until 1964, when it was visited by helicopter.^[10]

• McEwen, Alec (July 1988),"The English Place-Names of the Galápagos",The Geographical Journal, vol. 154, London: Royal Geographical Society, pp. 234–242,doi:10.2307/633849,JSTOR 633849.

• Darwin Island – govisitgalapagos.com