Redonda Rock

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{{Short description|Islet in the Galápagos Archipelago}}

{{hatnote|Not to be confused with Redonda in the Caribbean or Rodondo Island in Australia.}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Roca Redonda

| photo =

| photo_caption =

| elevation_m = 67

| elevation_ref =

| prominence_m = 67

| prominence_ref =

| map = Ecuador Galápagos Islands

| map_caption =

| label_position = right

| location = Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

| range =

| coordinates = {{coord|0.27|N|91.63|W|type:mountain_region:EC-W_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| range_coordinates =

| topo =

| type = Shield volcano

| age =

| last_eruption = Unknown

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route =

}}

Redonda Rock{{efn|The name sometimes also appears as Redondo Rock.{{sfnp|McEwen|1988|p=235}}{{citation |last=Kitchin |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Kitchin |title=Kitchin's General Atlas... |publisher=Laurie & Whittle |location=London |date=1797 |contribution=South America }}.}} ({{langx|es|Roca Redonda}}, "Round Rock") is a flat-topped, steep-sided islet located roughly {{Convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of the island of Isabela in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands. Redonda measures {{Convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and {{Convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide with a maximum elevation of {{Convert|67|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{cite gvp|vnum=353807|name=Roca Redonda |access-date=2016-09-16}} Its isolation and inaccessibility coupled with its rocky cliffs riddled with crevices and crossed by ledges has made Redonda a haven for nesting seabirds.{{cite book|title=The Galápagos: Exploring Darwin's Tapestry|last=Hess|first=John|page=42|year=2009|publisher=University of Missouri Press|isbn=978-0-8262-1837-7}}

This small volcanic island is the remains of a large shield volcano that has vastly eroded away below sea level. Potassium–argon dating of Redonda indicates that the islet is at least 53,000 years old. However, it remains unknown when the last eruption occurred from the shield volcano. Several shallow submarine fumaroles exist around the island and may indicate that the volcano is still active.{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225670475 |title=The emergence of a Galápagos shield volcano, Roca Redonda |publisher=Springer-Verlag |access-date=1 October 2023}} Herman Melville described the rock in detail in his short story The Encantadas.