Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Barcena, Pacific Volcano

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Monday, 20th June 2005

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Larry pointed us towards this excellent little volcano island in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 400 miles southwest of the tip of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Great crater Larry, good work!

Unfortunately here’s no map data of any of the islands in this area. Can anyone work out where this is? Too late, I think I worked it out ;-) Looks like this is Barcena on the island of San Benedicto (one of the Revilligigedo Islands). Apparently Barcena was born on August 1, 1952 and it reached a height of 300 metres in only 12 days! By mid September of that year it had mostly ceased erupting. There’s a photo of it in action here.

It looks a bit like some sort of Bond-esque, super-evil Pacific hideaway doesn’t it?

Pacific Volcano

6 Responses to 'Barcena, Pacific Volcano'

  1. Tim says:

    I did some googleing and found out those are the Revillagigedo Islands. The large island to the southwest is Isla Soccoro, and I’m pretty sure the one in the picture is Isla San Benedicto, because my sources say that a volcano on that island rose suddenly in the 1950s.

  2. Matt says:

    It looks like that island where Syndrome had his evil world in The Incredibles!

  3. Alex says:

    Thanks guys. I’d already started updating the post before you commented or I’d have credited you :-)

  4. Salsa says:

    This is such a pretty picture! i love it!!!!!!

  5. Luis Moreno says:

    Hi guys, I thougth you were talking about Turtle Island (Isla Tortuga) in the Sea of Cortez. Check it!

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

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