Malpelo Island

Malpelo Island is a steep volcanic island in the eastern Pacific, about 500 kilometers west of mainland Colombia. Its surrounding waters form a protected marine area known for large aggregations of sharks and other pelagic wildlife.

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Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary: A Colombian protected area encompassing Malpelo Island and a large surrounding expanse of Pacific Ocean. This sanctuary gives legal protection to the island's exceptional marine ecosystems.
Oceanic island: An island that rises from the deep ocean floor rather than a continental shelf. Malpelo is an isolated oceanic island far from the South American mainland.
Pelagic zone: The open-water region of the ocean, away from the seabed and shore. Many of Malpelo's most visible animals are pelagic rather than reef-dwelling.
Volcanism: The processes by which magma and volcanic gases reach or approach a planet's surface. Volcanism created the island's rugged rock outcrops.
Hammerhead shark: A shark family recognized by the distinctive laterally expanded shape of its head. Schools of hammerheads are among the best-known wildlife spectacles in Malpelo's waters.
Volcanic island: An island formed when volcanic activity builds land above the ocean surface. Malpelo's exposed rock is the summit of a volcanic structure.
Coral reef: A marine ecosystem built largely by reef-forming corals and associated organisms. Coral communities occur on Malpelo's rocky underwater surfaces.
Nazca Plate: An oceanic tectonic plate beneath the eastern Pacific, moving beneath the South American Plate. Regional plate tectonics provide the setting for eastern Pacific volcanic features.
Silky shark: A large, slender-bodied shark found in tropical and warm-temperate ocean waters. Silky sharks gather around Malpelo's offshore reefs and seamounts.
Seamount: An underwater mountain rising from the ocean floor without reaching the surface. Submerged volcanic relief around Malpelo creates habitat and alters local currents.