Volcanoes of the Atlantic Ocean

Flores

The northern half of the 10 x 15 km wide island of Flores, which lies west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, appears at the margin of this NASA Space Shuttle image. Ponta Delgada lies at the northern tip of the island at the lower left. Several craters seen to the left of the cloud banks at the lower right were formed during eruptions about 2900 years ago that also produced a lava flow that forms the Faja Grande Peninsula below the craters.

NASA Space Shuttle image ISS007-E-11252, 2003 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

Country: Portugal
Subregion Name: Azores and Madeira
Volcano Number: 1802-001
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Radiocarbon
Last Known Eruption: 950 BC ± 100 years
Summit Elevation: 914 m 2,999 feet
Latitude: 39.462°N 39°27'44"N
Longitude: 31.216°W 31°12'58"W
Flores Island and Corvo Island to its north are located far west of the rest of the Azores islands and are the only two Azorean volcanoes lying west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The 10 x 15 km island of Flores is dotted by numerous pyroclastic cones and craters. Several young phreatomagmatic craters and associated lava flows were erupted during the Holocene, including two about 3000 years ago. The Caldeira Funda de Lajes tuff ring formed about 3150 years ago, accompanied by a lava flow that traveled to the SE, reaching the coast at Lajes. The Caldeira Comprida tuff ring in Caldeira Seca, west-central Flores, erupted about 2900 years ago. It produced a lava flow that traveled NW-ward and reached the coast at Faja Grande.