Tracy Island

Formed as a result of seismic shifts in the ocean bed during the late Triassic age, approximately 200 million years ago, the island and its near neighbor, Mateo, are peaks of a sub-aquatic ridge that stretches east across the Pacific tectonic plate to its convergence with the Nazca and Antarctic plates. Now completely dormant, both islands were once volcanically active and are internally honeycombed with vast lava-formed chambers linked by a network of extinct vent channels. On the southern side of the island at sea level these form a network of cavernous grottoes, which are reputed to be the home of an elusive species of water mamba. The geological composition of the island's rock strata is also rich in valuable minerals, including sought-after deposits of the ultra-rare Cahelium X.