MINDREACHER - GENOVESA     
by Irene Baron.com   www. Mindreacher.net  April 2021

The second MINDREACHER novel in the series takes place at the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador in South America. 

The primary island of the 2nd mindreacher psychological thriller novel is Genovesa Island, also called “Tower Island.” It is located in the southern Pacific Ocean at 0.3231° N latitude, 89.9580° W longitude. 

The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador. They came into existence millions of years ago when lava began to be ejected from the ocean floor. The islands are located on the equator about 700 miles west of Ecuador. 

On the map below, you can see that Genovesa is the smallest island to the northeast. These islands were visited by Darwin who wrote about the evolution of the animals there. A video showing Darwin’s path through the islands is found at: https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/image-week-galapagos-islands 
The Galapagos Archipelago comprises 13 large islands, 6 small islands, 42 islets, and a number of small rocks and pinnacles which make up a total land surface of 8,000 square kilometers. 

The Galapagos Islands, the group of submarine volcanoes that grew from the ocean floor, broke the surface of the ocean about 4.5 million years ago. New islands have been forming ever since. Each island is formed from a single volcano, with the exception of Isabela. It is composed of 6 volcanoes. Most of them have little vegetation and are mainly black and brown colors.

The Galapagos Islands are NOT formed at the Ring of Fire where two or more tectonic plates meet. They occur within the Nazca Plate. You can see in the diagram below how complex the plates of Earth are in that location. It has been increasing in geological activity.

It is believed the Galapagos volcanoes result from a ‘hot spot’ in the mantle of the Earth. A "hot spot" is region of high temperatures due to a plume of super hot liquid rock (magma) rising from deeper inside the Earth. The rising magma erupts through weak areas in the Earth’s crust.  When it emerges from the crust, it is called lava. It builds up over millions of years to create volcanoes. Another hot spot is responsible for the formation of the Hawaiian Islands and Yellowstone Park in the United States.. 

The Galapagos Archipelago’s hot spot remains stationary as the Nazca Plate, drifts over it at a rate of about 3 inches per year. In comparison, the North American Continent which contains the United States moves to the west and northwest at about 1 centimeter per year. The oldest island in that region is Isla Espanola in the Southwest. Fernandina and Isabela in the northwest are the youngest and most volcanically active. 

LAVA TYPES – PAHOEHOE & AA 

Like the Hawaiian Islands, the Galapagos magma forms a basaltic rock. Basalt volcanoes usually have gently sloping sides known as shield volcanoes which are circular or elliptical in shape. The dome-like shape of the Galapagos volcanic shield volcanoes looks like an overturned soup plate. Above water level, these volcanoes may have spatters of lava and ash on their surfaces. 

There are two types of lava.  Pahoehoe, a Hawaiian word meaning ropey, is pictured to the left. It  has smooth, billowy surfaces.  Aa (Hawaiian  word for hurt) has a broken surface.  It has sharp edges and may be difficult to walk on.   

Calderas are large, broadly circular volcanic depressions that are usually formed by the collapse of the roof of a volcano. That can happen with the magma under the cone is blown out leaving a hole. The weight of the cone causes a collapse which may fill in with sea water.  This happened on Fernandina in 1968. The floor subsided by 300 meters. 

The Galapagos Islands are among the world’s most active volcanic areas today. There have been over 50 eruptions in the last 200 years. Fernandina has erupted about every 4-5 years since 1968.

In the 2nd mindreacher novel,  Genovesa Island is where most of the terrorist activity takes place. 

In the diagram to the left, notice the breached caldera within the Genovesa Island volcano which is open to the South Pacific Ocean. Called Darwin Bay, it was created after a huge eruption in the past that heaved masses of lava out of lower reaches of the volcano.  The top-heavy cone fell into the void and created Darwin Bay which is about 2 miles across. 

This caldera is an important location in the novel. The whole Galapagos area is activated, volcanically. That is taken into consideration in the novel. Much of the action will take place in the ocean immediately southeast of the island. This is a small volcano. It is only 210 feet above sea level. In heavy fog it cannot be seen. The low elevation also makes it difficult to find on radar. The breached caldera, Darwin Bary, is a popular site for tour boats.

Genovesa is considered the best bird watching site of all the islands. Birds species found there include Blue Footed Boobies, Cactus Finches, Galapagos Doves, Galapagos Mockingbirds, Galapagos Petrels, Great Frigate Birds, Large Ground Finches, Lava Gulls, Red-footed Boobies, Sharp-beaked Ground finches, Storm Petrels, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Warbler Finches, and Yellow Warblers. 

I spent about a week on board a touring ship in the Galapagos Islands gathering information for the second mindreacher novel. 

Upon visiting Genovesa, I walked the island and enjoyed the multitude of iguanas and birds. The iguanas didn't move much. Since there wasn’t much vegetation, the The iguanas (pictured to the left) went into Darwin Bay to feed. Seals rested on the small sand beach there. The mother and younger seal on the beach let me take pictures from a distance. 

Snorkeling in the center of Darwin bay, for about 30 minutes, I stayed about 15 feet above a pack of 15-20  rays that were gently moving their wings to stay in place in a gentle current.  The ship was near the eastern cliff quite a ways from me.  The Zodiac that dropped me off forgot about me until I raised my hand and splashed water. I had been quietly staying in place and looking down for so long with no movement, they had overlooked my position.  

Seeing ocean life in its natural conditions fascinates me. I could have snorkeled in that bay all day.  

That whole experience of Ecuador and the islands is a basis for the geological and volcanic actions you will find in my novel, Mindreacher II – The Galapagos Incident.

Everyone I've met who has read the first mindreacher novel is anxious for the second one to be published in 2022. It is so much fun to write. You'll find the pair of books so outstanding, you'll be anxious to read book #3! It's in the beginning stages and is totally mapped out. WOW!  It will also be action packed. As the Mindreacher hero, Major Jon Coulter, USMC, would call out - OOORAH !!!! 
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