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Mount Pico

Pico

Stratovolcano · Portugal · 2351m

The conical Pico stratovolcano rising above the clouds is seen here from Fayal Island to the northwest. The 46-km-long Pico Island can be broadly separated into the Pico stratovolcano in the west, the Planalto da Achada fissure zone in the east (a roughly 30-km-long linear ridge of fissures and cones), and the Topo-Lajes volcano in the south. Pico volcano is capped by a 560-m-wide summit crater that contains a small steep-sided cone visible on the left side of the summit in this image. Recent eruptions have been recorded from the flanks of Pico and in the Planalto da Achada fissure zone.
The conical Pico stratovolcano rising above the clouds is seen here from Fayal Island to the northwest. The 46-km-long Pico Island can be broadly separated into the Pico stratovolcano in the west, the Planalto da Achada fissure zone in the east (a roughly 30-km-long linear ridge of fissures and cones), and the Topo-Lajes volcano in the south. Pico volcano is capped by a 560-m-wide summit crater that contains a small steep-sided cone visible on the left side of the summit in this image. Recent eruptions have been recorded from the flanks of Pico and in the Planalto da Achada fissure zone. · Photo: Photo by Rick Wunderman, 1997 (Smithsonian Institution). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Portugal
Region
Atlantic Ocean Volcanic Regions / Azores-Terceira Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
2351m
Coordinates
38.470, -28.400
Last eruption
1720
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

The conical Pico stratovolcano occupies the western end of Pico Island and is the highest volcano in the Azores. The dominantly basaltic edifice lies west of on an older linear volcano with numerous flank cones that forms most of the 46-km-long island. It was constructed over the Montanha volcanic complex on the eastern side of the island and is capped by a 500-m-wide summit crater that is overtopped by a small steep-sided cone. An eruption beginning in 1562 from the Sao Roque Piedade/Planalto da Achada fissure zone produced lava flows that reached the northern coast. Two fissures erupted on the NNW flank and SE flank of Pico volcano in 1718, with lavas reaching the north and south coasts. Lava flows from a fissure on the SE flank in 1720 reached the ocean.

From Wikipedia

Mount Pico is a currently dormant stratovolcano located on Pico Island, in the mid-Atlantic archipelago of the Azores. It is the highest mountain in Portugal, at 2,351 metres (7,713 ft) above sea level, and is one of the highest Atlantic mountains; it is more than twice the elevation of any other peak in the Azores. It has been a designated nature reserve since 1972.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1562~1602 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21682~1722 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21923~1963 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 015621642176318431923

Detailed timeline

  1. 1963VEI 0Geological estimate
    1963-12-15 – Ongoing
    Off NW coast
  2. 1720VEI 2Observed
    1720-07-10 – 1720-12
    SE flank (400 m)
  3. 1718VEI 2Observed
    1718-02-01 – 1718-12-15
    SE flank (200 m), NW flank (1200 m)
  4. 1562VEI 2Observed
    1562-09-21 – 1564
    East flank (800 m)

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.