Cumbre Vieja

Looking to Cumbre Vieja

The Cumbre Vieja (Spanish: Old Summit ) is a 2000 m high and about 14 km long volcanic chain in the south of belonging to Spain Canary Island of La Palma. Parts of the Cumbre Vieja form the natural park of the same name.

Location

The ridge extends approximately north-south and, together with the subsequent Cumbre Nueva north of the central mountain range on the southern half of the island. Unlike the name suggests, the Cumbre Vieja is geologically younger than the Cumbre Nueva. About the Cumbre Vieja runs a popular hiking trail. The volcano route offers expansive views of La Palma and the three neighboring islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro.

Climate

The mountain has a significant influence on the climate of the island. Together with the even higher towering Taburiente in the north, he divides the island in a more humid eastern and a drier western half: The prevailing northeast trade wind forces air masses against the mountain slopes. The air rises and forms clouds, whose ceiling is higher, is lower in summer and winter. These clouds provide enough moisture to leave on the slopes thrive extensive deciduous and pine forests. The summit region is, however, already in the sphere of influence of the counter- trade winds. Therefore, it is often dry and free of clouds. Because of the altitude, the temperature around the peak in the winter months may temporarily fall below freezing.

Geology

The Cumbre Vieja is of volcanic origin. It consists of lava, tuff and volcanic ash. Numerous craters strung together, the highest point is 1,949 meters high mountain Deseada. La Palma has been for several centuries, the most volcanically active island in the Canaries. Seven of about 120 craters in the Cumbre broke out during the last 500 years. To Montaña Quemada 1470-1492 broke the (German: Burnt Mountain ) from the northwestern end of the Cumbre Vieja. The Spaniards had not yet conquered the island in full at this time, therefore, exact data. Documented eruptions were:

On June 24, 1949 opened above the village of San Nicolás a column whose lava flowed to the west. The old crater Duraznero ( 1,820 m) broke out, spilling its lava on the same day but eastward. In early July of the same year play the old crater Hoyo Negro ( engl.: black pit) ash. Until September 1949 flowed from the San Juan, which was named after his birthday, lots of lava, which gave rise to a new country on the west coast. This lava flowed around the town of San Nicolás, but nevertheless buried a few yards and houses. People not died.

Recently broke the 438 -meter high Teneguía 1971 at the southern tip of La Palma. The name of the volcano is derived from a sacred rock of the Guanches, the Roque Teneguía, where there was a hot spring that had been buried by the eruption of San Antonio in 1676. The Teneguía formed at the beginning of its eruption six openings below the San Antonio at Fuencaliente, from which today result in hot sulfur vapors.

South of the Teneguía the Cumbre continues below sea level. Undersea volcanism shows that the most active part of the Cumbre is still in the sea.

Possible tsunami risk

During the eruption of the volcano is San Juan in 1949 with a two- kilometer-long crack in the mountain flank, and the western half of the Cumbre slipped a few meters towards the west coast from. Some geologists fear that in a further outbreak of rising magma could seep into water-bearing strata of the Cumbre. Explosive evaporation of the water could cause the instability of the hillside. Up to 500 billion tons of rock could thereby fall into the sea. Such a massive landslide would trigger a mega- tsunami in the Atlantic.

After studies at the Technical University of Delft, such a landslide in the next 10,000 years is unlikely, however, since the Cumbre is not high and not steep enough. Only when successive Extreme träfen such as very heavy rain at the same time exceptionally strong volcanic eruption, a Flankenabrutsch would be possible at all. Calculations of the university state that forces of up to 28 trillion Newton would have to act.