Volcanoes of Europe by Jerram Dougal

Author:Jerram, Dougal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mint Associates Ltd

Sete Cidades stratovolcano

Sete Cidades stratovolcano covers all the northwest of São Miguel (Fig. 5.9). It grew up from a base 2000m deep on the ocean floor and was a separate island until eruptions in the central saddle joined it to the rest of São Miguel. It is now 14km across at sea level, with a volume above sea level of some 70km3. Its smooth slopes rarely exceed 10° and are covered with farmland and plantations of the conifer cryptomeria. The Sete Cidades caldera (Fig. 5.10) crowns the stratovolcano and owes its name to the legend that seven cities were engulfed when it collapsed. Almost 5km in diameter and 6km3 in volume, it is home to rich vegetation, ranging from laurel and cryptomeria to hydrangea and the now rampant ginger lily (Hedychium gardnerianum). Several squat wooded cones and the village of Sete Cidades occupy its floor, but its most striking features are two lakes, the Lagoa Azul and the Lagoa Verde, which often reflect the blue and green of their names. This majestic caldera, whose extraordinary serenity belies its violent origins, is the deepest and perhaps the most beautiful in the Azores. The scene from the Visto do Rei (‘king’s view’) is the most photographed in the islands.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.