Image id: 09ECU-4404-48pan_Bartolome-Island

The tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock on little Bartolomé Island has become one of the best recognized and most photographed sights in the in the Galápagos archipelago. This large black partially eroded lava formation was created when magma expelled from the volcano reached the sea. When the seawaters cooled the hot lava it caused an explosion. The exploded particles eventually fasten together forming a rock composed of thin layers. Bartolomé Island (or Bartholomew Island, named after Lieutenant David Bartholomew of the British Navy) is one of the geologically younger islands in the Galápagos archipelago, just off the east coast of Santiago (James) Island, seen in the background. Galápagos Islands (Official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other names: Islas de Colón, Islas Galápagos, or Enchanted Islands) are a group of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador, South America.