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Volcán de la Deseada

La Palma

Stratovolcano · Spain · 2426m

The caldera rim of the Taburiente volcano, which makes up the northern section of the island of La Palma, is seen here from a lava flow field on the southern volcano, Cumbre Vieja. Bejenado volcano (left center) is located on the southern edge of the breached Taburiente caldera. Cumbre Nueva Ridge (right) was formed by a large-scale collapse. Cumbre Vieja is the most recently active volcanic center on the island, with numerous cones and lava flows.
The caldera rim of the Taburiente volcano, which makes up the northern section of the island of La Palma, is seen here from a lava flow field on the southern volcano, Cumbre Vieja. Bejenado volcano (left center) is located on the southern edge of the breached Taburiente caldera. Cumbre Nueva Ridge (right) was formed by a large-scale collapse. Cumbre Vieja is the most recently active volcanic center on the island, with numerous cones and lava flows. · Photo: Photo by Yasuo Miyabuchi, 1997 (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kyushu). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Spain
Region
Northern Africa Volcanic Regions / Canary Volcanic Province
Elevation
2426m
Coordinates
28.570, -17.830
Last eruption
2021
Tectonic setting
Intraplate / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite
Geological summary

The 47-km-long wedge-shaped island of La Palma, the NW-most of the Canary Islands, is composed of two large volcanic centers. The older northern one is cut by the steep-walled Caldera Taburiente, one of several massive collapse scarps produced by edifice failure to the SW. On the south, the younger Cumbre Vieja volcano is one of the most active in the Canaries. The elongated volcano dates back to about 125,000 years ago and is oriented N-S. Eruptions during the past 7,000 years have formed abundant cinder cones and craters along the axis, producing fissure-fed lava flows that descend steeply to the sea. Eruptions recorded since the 15th century have produced mild explosive activity and lava flows that damaged populated areas. The southern tip of the island is mantled by a broad lava field emplaced during the 1677-1678 eruption. Lava flows also reached the sea in 1585, 1646, 1712, 1949, 1971, and 2021.

From Wikipedia

The Cumbre Vieja is an active volcanic ridge on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The spine of Cumbre Vieja trends in an approximate north–south direction, comprising the southern half of La Palma, with both summit ridge and flanks pockmarked by dozens of craters and cones. The latest eruption began on 19 September 2021 in a forested area of Las Manchas locality known as Cabeza de Vaca. Voluminous lava flows quickly reached populated areas downslope, fanning out across settlements and banana plantations, destroying thousands of buildings and ultimately pouring over steep cliffs into the ocean to enlarge the island at several locations. The volcano went quiet on 13 December 2021, and on 25 December 2021, the local government declared the eruption to be over.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
6050 BCE~5781 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4974 BCE~4705 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4167 BCE~3898 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1476 BCE~1207 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?400 BCE~131 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?676~945 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1214~1483 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21483~1752 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 21752~2021 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 36050 BCE4167 BCE2014 BCE131 BCE1752

Detailed timeline

  1. 2021VEI 3Observed
    2021-09-19 – 2021-12-13
    Tajogaite eruption
  2. 1971VEI 2Observed
    1971-10-26 – 1971-11-18
    Teneguia
  3. 1949VEI 2Observed
    1949-06-24 – 1949-07-30
    San Juan, Llano del Banco, Hoyo Negro
  4. 1712VEI 2Observed
    1712-10-09 – 1712-12-03
    El Charco
  5. 1677VEI 2Observed
    1677-11-17 – 1678-01-21
    N & S flanks of San Antonio (Fuentecaliente)
  6. 1646VEI 2Observed
    1646-10-02 – 1646-12-21
    South flank of San Martín (Tigalate)
  7. 1585VEI 2Observed
    1585-05-19 – 1585-08-10
    Tahuya
  8. 1481 (±11 yrs)VEI 2Observed
    1481 – Ongoing
    Tacande (Montaña Quemada)
  9. 900 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    900 – Ongoing
    Nambroque II-Malforada
  10. 360 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 360 – Ongoing
    El Fraile
  11. 1320 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1320 – Ongoing
    La Fajana (Volcán Fuego)
  12. 4050 BCE (±3000 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4050 – Ongoing
    L'Amendrita, Birigoyo
  13. 4900 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 4900 – Ongoing
  14. 6050 BCE (±1500 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 6050 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.