Galapagos Island volcano erupts near habitat of the rare pink iguana

The Wolf volcano erupts on the Galapagos Islands.
(Image credit: Twitter.com/jasonagastrich)

For the first time in 33 years, the 1.1-mile-high Wolf volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted early Monday.

Located on Isabela Island, the volcano, the highest point in the Galapagos, is not near a populated area, Galapagos National Park said on Twitter. While the island is home to the world's only species of pink iguanas, Reuters reports, the lava is flowing down the southern face of the volcano, and the endangered iguanas live on the opposite side and are expected to be safe. The lava will likely make its way to the sea and could harm marine life, Ecuador's Geophysics Institute said, and it's possible ash will travel to populated areas of the island.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.