Map of the Canary IslandsTeide stratovolcano on TenerifeVolcanic cones on LanzarotePahoehoe lava flow on El HierroCaldera de Taburiente on La Palma
The geology of the Canary Islands is dominated by volcanic rock. The Canary Islands and some seamounts to the north-east form the Canary Volcanic Province, whose volcanic history started about 70 million years ago.[1] The Canary Islands region is still volcanically active. The most recent volcanic eruption on land occurred in 2021[2] and the most recent underwater eruption was in 2011-12.[1]
The Canary Islands are a 450 km (280 mi) long, east-west trending, archipelago of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, 100–500 km (60–310 mi) off the coast of Northwest Africa.[3] The islands are located on the African tectonic plate. The Canary Islands are an example of intraplate volcanism because they are located far (more than 600 km (370 mi)) from the edges of the African Plate.[4]
From east to west, the main islands are Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro.[Note 1] There are also several minor islands and islets. The seven main Canary Islands originated as separate submarine seamount volcanoes on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, which is 1,000–4,000 m (3,000–13,000 ft) deep in the Canarian region.
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are parts of a single volcanic ridge called the Canary Ridge. These two present-day islands have sometimes been a single island in the past. Part of the ridge is now submerged, and Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are separate islands, separated by an 11 km (7 mi) wide, 40 m (130 ft) deep strait of ocean water.[6]
Volcanic activity has occurred during the last 11,700 years on all of the main islands except La Gomera.[7]
^ abCarracedo, J.C.; Troll, V.R.; Zaczek, K.; Rodríguez-González, A.; Soler, V.; Deegan, F.M. (2015) The 2011–2012 submarine eruption off El Hierro, Canary Islands: New lessons in oceanic island growth and volcanic crisis management, Earth-Science Reviews, volume 150, pages 168–200, doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.06.007
^"Lava shoots up from volcano on La Palma in Spanish Canary Islands". Reuters. 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
^Schmincke, H.U. and Sumita, M. (1998) Volcanic Evolution of Gran Canaria reconstructed from Apron Sediments: Synthesis of VICAP Project Drilling in Weaver, P.P.E., Schmincke, H.U., Firth, J.V., and Duffield, W. (editors) (1998) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, volume 157
^Carracedo, Juan Carlos; Troll, Valentin R. (2021), "North-East Atlantic Islands: The Macaronesian Archipelagos", in Alderton, David; Elias, Scott A. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Geology (Second Edition), Oxford: Academic Press, pp. 674–699, doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-102908-4.00027-8, ISBN 978-0-08-102909-1, S2CID 226588940, retrieved 2021-03-16
^"El Senado reconoce a La Graciosa como la octava isla canaria habitada". El País (in Spanish). 26 June 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
^Carracedo, J.C. and Troll, V.R. (2016) The Geology of the Canary Islands, Amsterdam, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-12-809663-5, page 532
^Tanguy, J-C. and Scarth, A. (2001) “Volcanoes of Europe”, Harpenden, Terra Publishing, ISBN 1-903544-03-3, page 101
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