Localización

LOCATION

Location

Malpelo Island is located in the geographical coordinates of 3°51'07" N and 81°35'40" W, at 500 km west of the Buenaventura harbor in the Colombian Pacific coast. It is a volcanic formation which walls down to 4000 mts deep. This small island has a 1,2 km square terrestrial area and is the top of a seamountain chain called “Malpelo Ridge”.

This maritime ridge extends itself NE to SW and has a longitude of 277.8 km (172.61 miles) and a width of 92,6 km (50.53 miles). Its maximum high is located at the “Mona mount” and reaches 300 mts over sea level. The island is surrounded by 12 sharp boulders with heights between 10 and 40 mts located north and south.

The Malpelo Island is located in the Panama basin which is considered a tectonic complex region because Nazca and Cocos plates are converging there. Therefore it is an active centre of expansion of the maritime bottom.
Malpelo was formed 17 to 20 million years ago (Inferior Miocene) and the island was 10 times bigger. It’s current geomorphology is a result of the maritime erosion, rain and strong winds. In fact, Malpelo is located in the zone of intertropical convergence where the trade winds that come from the north and the south converge. This zone is characterized by variable winds and by a high pluviosity. The island does not have any water springs. However the highest parts of the island act like a giant condensator that traps and filtrates the atmospheric water within the rocks.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MARITIME ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING THE MALPELO ISLAND

The characteristics of the maritime environment surrounding the Malpelo Island are strongly influenced by the current patterns that cross the area, 8 different currents are affecting the Island directly and indirectly. These are generally warm ( between 26ºC and 28ºC), but in the first months of the year the water temperature can vary between 16ºC to 25ºC. The salinity levels are high with an aproximate average of 33 ppm on superficial waters and 34 ppm on deep waters.

Affecting currents
1. North Ecuatorial current
2. Ecuatorial crosscurrent
3. South Ecuatorial current
4. Humboldt current
5. Cromwell current
6. Panamá ciclonic countercurrent
7. Colombia current

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