Monte Corona

Monte Corona in Lanzarote

View into the crater interior

The Monte Corona ( also simple: La Corona, Spanish: the crown) is a nearly circular volcanic cone in the north of the Canary Island of Lanzarote. His blunt cone shape is visible from afar and are a landmark of the island north and the northernmost municipality of Lanzarote, Haria.

Location

The highest point of Monte Corona is located at 609 m ( 1998), the submarine height measured from the foot of the mountain under the ocean floor is about 3600 meters. From the top of the measured depth of the crater is about 180 meters. Crater rim and heart can be hiked with appropriate footwear, where you get a wide view over the island.

Geology

Monte Corona is a so-called cinder cones (see also volcano types and names). Its slopes are completely bald and only on the northern side of the crater rim has been removed by erosion in part, it has also proved there is also a secondary craters formed. This gives the volcano its characteristic appearance, you can see the very beautiful by the "step" on the crater rim, here on the photo to the right. Monte Corona is the most recently created, but not the highest elevation of about 14 million years old, Risco de Famara mountains in the north, which form the oldest parts of the island, together with the mountain range in the south Los Ajaches. His saddle height is about 200 meters, so it classifies it as a stand-alone mountain within a low mountain range. Monte Corona belongs to the younger era of volcanic activity on Lanzarote and had its active phase about 3000 to 5000 years ago. Its eruptions changed the topography in the area considerably. The essential part of its lava flowed eastward towards the sea and formed the approximately 30 square kilometers measured, rough lava field Malpais de la Corona ( Spanish: bad land of Corona ).

The on its surface first solidified lava formed in its interior a 6.9 km long tunnel, 1.4 km further extends below the seabed in the Atlantic Ocean where it ends blindly, and thus one of the longest lava tunnels of the earth. In some places, the so-called Jameos ( Guanche: language of the Guanches ), the roof of the tunnel collapsed and allowed entry into the cave system. The lanzarote American architect and artist César Manrique designed and built in the closest to the sea nearby Jameos the famous Jameos del Agua (see also Cueva de los Verdes ).