When we talk about the highest peaks in Spain we always mention Mount Teide. It is located on the island of Tenerife belonging to the archipelago of the Canary Islands. It is not only the highest point in Spain, but also of all the lands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The Teide volcano It is considered the third highest volcano in the world when measured from the base of the oceanic crust. It is also considered one of Spain's greatest attractions, as it is located within Teide National Park, which is also an ideal place to visit. volcanic calderasIt has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
For all these reasons, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you about all the characteristics, geography, geology, formation and curiosities of the Teide volcano.
Key features
For the original people of these areas, the Guanches, the Teide volcano was considered a sacred mountain. Today, it is one of the best known volcanoes in the world. It is a stratovolcano or compound volcano. That is, it has been formed over millions of years thanks to the accumulation of successive layers of lava flows. And it is that the lava is accumulating and cooling as it flows through the steep places. Not only does lava accumulate, but also solid materials. All this makes the embedded structure take shape until the volcano is in its current position.
The entire structure of the Teide volcano is located within the Cañadas. Las Cañadas is a volcanic caldera with dimensions between 12 and 20 kilometers in diameter. The total height of Mount Teide is 3.718 meters above sea level. If we calculate this by the difference in height above the ocean floor, we can see that it is 7500 meters high. This volcanic complex is one of the reasons why the area is so interesting, and there is more information about the volcanoes in the canaries, including Teide.
The Teide volcano, together with the Pico Viejo volcano, forms a single stratovolcano. This is a volcanic complex. Both one and the other had formation within the same magmatic chamber. Normally, when describing both volcanoes it is done separately. Between the two, Teide is the one that is considered the most active. Its last eruption was recorded in 1909. Although it seems that more than 100 years have passed, on the scale of geological time this is considered an active volcano.
During the winter months, we can see the snow falling on the summit, providing an attractive landscape for the millions of visitors to the National Park. This makes Tenerife a significant tourist destination year-round, and it's essential to learn more about it. the most important mountains in Spain.
Formation of the Teide volcano
Let's take a look back in geological time to understand the volcanic origins of this beautiful place. The entire island of Tenerife emerged from the ocean as a result of a volcano. This happened during the Miocene and early 20th centuries. Pliocene. At that time, 3 shield volcanoes appeared that They are the Teno, Adeje and Anaga massifsThese shield volcanoes formed most of the land area of what is now Tenerife. The geological history of the area is fascinating, and there are more details about its evolution in types of volcanoes.
In several stages, these three massifs ceased their eruptions, and a new period of volcanic activity began, during which new structures were formed. The central axis of the caldera formed during the third stage and evolved throughout the Miocene. This is how the Cañadas caldera was formed as a result of massive sliding from successive large volcanic eruptions and a combination of both factors.
Already advanced in the Pleistocene epoch, we can see that the Teide-Pico Viejo complex was formed inside the caldera.
Volcanic eruptions
We mentioned earlier that this volcano is active. The last recorded volcanic eruption took place in 1909. This eruption lasted 10 days. the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program which is dedicated to studying the frequency of volcanic eruptions. This way, we can prepare for the potential disasters they can cause. There are eruptions that cause serious damage and require the evacuation of the population. In this case, this program has confirmed 42 eruptions, three of which are unconfirmed.
The Teide volcano's vent has released a significant amount of pyroclastic material since its formation. However, the first observed volcanic eruption was in 1492. This eruption caused the entire island of Tenerife to be dynamited for a long time. The only eruption at the summit occurred around 850 AD
Fortunately, there are no human settlements near this volcano, so its danger is not high. There are other volcanoes in the world where there are more than 100 people within a 766000-kilometer radius. In the event of an eruption on the island of Tenerife, it is not as dangerous as in other places, although it is always important to be informed about the events. most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Curiosities of the Teide volcano
We are going to tell you some curiosities that perhaps you did not know about this volcano.
- Within the national park there are more than 1.000 archaeological sites. These deposits date from the Guanche period that reveal enough information about the forms of life that existed at that time.
- The base of Teide took 40.000 years to forge. Although this amount of time seems like a long time, from a geological perspective, it's a fairly short interval. Therefore, we can say that Teide is a young volcano.
- The grounds around the volcano are among the most fertile on the entire planet. This is because the ash from the volcanoes provides a large amount of nutrients to the soil.
- The volcanic eruptions of this volcano have never registered human victims. This makes it quite safe to live in Tenerife.
- The forms that this eruption volcano has are quite rare if we compare them with other volcanoes.
As you can see, it is a rather curious type of volcano and one of the best known in the world. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Teide volcano.
