GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador (24 Oct 2005) -- A volcanic eruption on the Galapagos Islands has sent scorching lava pouring seawards but giant tortoises which helped inspired the theory of evolution are safe, island authorities said on Sunday. The Sierra Negra volcano on Isabela Island -- the largest of the Pacific Ocean archipelago which is part of Ecuador -- erupted on Saturday night, the Galapagos National Park said in a news release. Slow-moving lava is edging down the mountainside and could reach the sea in a week's time, but the island's unique fauna and human inhabitants have not been harmed, the park said. | | A visit to the Galapagos by naturalist Charles Darwin in 1835 helped inspire what became the theory of evolution, due to the differences between the populations of animals such as giant tortoises and birds on different islands. Most of the Galapagos is covered by national park. |
