Comparison of the tectonic setting of the Galápagos archipelago at 2–2.5 Ma (A.) and at the present day (B.). Reconstruction of the Galápagos Spreading Centre (GSC) is taken from Mittelstaedt et al. (2012), with the right-hand panels adapted from Cleary et al. (2020). Schematic diagrams show the proposed increase in melt flux to the western Galápagos due to the increasing plume–ridge interaction distance with time and the smaller volume of plume material (and melt) transported north to the GSC. LAB, lithosphere asthenosphere boundary.