The Azores Islands: their Relationship to Atlantis

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Examination of a world map reveals a striking match between the shapes of the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa. The two continents appear as though they could fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The matching shape of their coasts is one of the most obvious pieces of evidence that suggests these two continents were once joined.

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Iceland [near center] is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that owes its very existence to the molten rock, or magma, that wells up through the rifts along the ridge. Scientists believe Iceland rose from the sea floor about 20 million years ago. Continuous spreading, accompanied by eruptions along Iceland's section of the ridge, widens the country by about one inch per year.

Over one third of Iceland's 40,000 square miles is volcanically active and loaded with lava fields. Elsewhere, magma too far below the surface to create volcanoes heats the rock above, sending the heated groundwater percolating to the surface in the form of "hot springs." Iceland is far enough north so that it should be entirely covered by ice and snow, like Greenland to the west. The heat generated by the ridge, however, keeps the country in a constant state of thaw, distinguishing it as the Land of Fire and Ice.

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In the late 18th century Benjamin Franklin hypothesized that Africa
and South America
were once joined. We now know that he was right. Approximately 20 million years ago these two continents were one. Then a giant rift, or separation, developed between them. As the two land masses separated, the surrounding water rushed in to fill the gap between them, and the Atlantic Ocean was born. They've been drifting apart about 5 centimeters per year - for the past 20 million years!-as the Atlantic continues to widen.   
What began as a small crack in the Earth's crust is now the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a giant undersea mountain range. As magma rises to escape along this ridge new crust is formed, sea-floors spread, and continents drift around the globe.

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Gain a better understanding of the ocean floor with this vibrantly colored Raised Relief World Map.  This striking map of the World captures the geography of the continents and the ocean floor. Ridges, trenches, mountains, continental shelves, continental slopes and islands are all depicted in exceptional detail. The Ocean Floor Raised Relief Map is also available with our framing options, including black, gold, and pewter plastic frames and oak wood frames. Unframed map measures 26" x 39".  Raised Relief Maps are a superior visual reference. Fully three-dimensional, these vacuum-formed vinyl maps use shaded relief to represent altitude gradation and topographic diversity.

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http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.341125

   
The Ampère Seamount, 600 km west of Gibraltar, is one of nine inactive volcanoes along a bent chain, the so called Horseshoe Seamounts. All of them ascend from an abyssal plain of 4000 to 4800 m depth up to a few hundred meters below the sea surface, except two, which nearly reach the surface: the Ampère massif on the southern flank of the group and the summit of the Gorringe bank in the north. The horseshoe, serrated like a crown, opens towards Gibraltar and stands in the way of its outflow. These seamounts are part of the Azores-Gibraltar structure, which marks the boundary between two major tectonic plates: the Eurasian and the African plate.
The submarine volcanism which formed the Horseshoe Seamounts belongs to the sea floor spread area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The maximum activity was between 17 and 10 Million years ago and terminated thereafter. The volcanoes consist of basalts and tuffs. Most of their flanks and the abyssal plain around are covered by sediments of micro-organic origin.
These sediments, in particular their partial absence on the upper flanks are a circumstantial proof and a kind of diary of the initial rise and subsequent subsidence of about 6oo m of these seamounts. The horizons of erosion where the basalt substrate is laid bare indicate the rise above sea level in the past. Since the Ampère summit is 60 m deep today, this volcano must have been an island 500 m high. The stratification of the sediments covering the surrounding abyssal plain reveals discrete events of downslope suspension flows, called turbidites, separated by tens of thousands of years and perhaps induced by changes in climate conditions.
The Ampère sea mount of 4800 m height and a base diameter of 50 km exceeds the size of the Mont Blanc massif. Its southern and eastern flanks are steep with basalts cropping out, in parts with nearly vertical walls of some hundred meters. The west and north sides consist of terraces and plateaus covered with sediments at 140 m, 400 m, 2000 m, and 3500 m

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Discovery of the Azores

There are accounts that Henry sent his able seaman and knight
Goncalo Velho Cabral, in 1431, with the orders "to sail towards the
setting sun until he came to an island."17 Others say the islands had
been found accidentally by Portuguese sailors returning from a
voyage along the African coast or the Madeiras,18 but this is not
possible because the prevailing winds and ocean currents would not
have allowed it.19 Henry and his school of navigators knew there
were islands located a few hundred miles off the Portuguese coast
because they were shown on a Catalan map. In 1431, Cabral found a
series of volcanic rocks protruding out from under the water which
he named "formigas" or ants. He was just 25 miles from the nearest
Azorean island at the time which apparently was not visable to his
crew or him. He returned to Henry and was sent out immediately
the next year to reexplore the area.20

On August 15, 1432, Cabral found Santa Maria, the easternmost
island of the Azorean archipelago. It was the feast day of the
Assumption of Our Blessed Mother, or Santa Maria, and consequently
named for her.21 The island was lush with forests, streams, and
birdlife.22 Apparently, there were many birds in flight, thought to be
goshawks, and hence, the islands got the Portuguese name "acor" or
hawk. However, there have never been goshawks there according to
ornithologists. Many believe the birds seen were the Azorean
buzzards.23

It is thought too that maybe the name for the islands came from this
statement written by Martin Behaim, the maker of the Nuremburg
globe of 1492: "All birds found in the islands by the first settlers
were so tame that they came to the hand like hawks."24 Another
theory is that the word "raca" or "raka," meaning bird of prey in
Arabic, was translated to the Portugese acor. Raca appeared in an
Arab manuscript designating an island, or islands, in the same
location as the Azores.25

A letter written by Alfonso V, King of Portugal, dated July 2, 1439 is
the first known document with a reference to the Azores. Its content
reveals that there were seven islands and that Henry was given the
right to settle them.26 The next known document is a Majorcan map
of the same year which had seven islands and the date of discovery
was recorded as 1432.27 There have been differing versions
concerning the year-date of the discovery. It appears, after some
analysis by scholars, that 1432 is the correct date.28 Unfortunately,
there were no written accounts of the voyage by the participants.29
In fact, there is little information on the discoveries of the other
eight islands because of the same reason.

Sao Miguel was sighted followed next by Terceira, which means the
"third." Then the central group of islands were found which were
Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico, and Faial. And finally the western two
islands of Corvo and Flores were sighted in 1452 which concluded
the discovery of the archipelago.30 There is no evidence that
humankind had ever been on the islands.31 But there are mysteries.
There is the mystery of an equestrian statue on Corvo, and also the
mystery of the Phoenician or Carthagenian coins said to have found
there as well.32

Corvo along with Flores are the two westernmost islands of the
archipelago, and hence, the last inch of European soil. It was here in
the early 1500's, that Damiao de Goes, under the employment of King
Dom Manoel of Portugal, wrote of a statue of a man on horseback
pointing to the west which was clinging to a rocky ledge. The king
asked for a drawing of it, and after seeing the drawing, he sent
someone to bring it back. As the story goes, it was shattered in a
storm en route, but the king received the parts. There too was an
inscription in the rock below the statue, and an impression was taken
of it. But neither the shattered parts of the statue, nor the impression
of the inscription were ever found.33 Was it a hoax? Scholars are still
unsure.

Some have speculated that the statue was really just one of many
rock formations seen on the island and nothing more.34 Others feel it
did exist and could have been evidence of the lost continent of
Atlantis, or of another settlement of ancient peoples. Coins too were
found on Corvo, and their images were published in a journal of the
Society of Gothenberg. They were considered to be of Carthagenian or
Cyrenean origin by the society.35 A twentieth century Portuguese
scholar, made a serious effort to locate the coins. He went to the
convent to which they were first supposedly taken. He also visited
museums where he thought information could be found. But his
investigation turned up nothing.36


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http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/azores.html

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Azores Islands


by Robert L. Santos
California State University, Stanislaus
Librarian/Archivist



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Early Accounts of Land Beyond

With the sea at his toes and an inquisitive and adventuring mind, the
Portuguese natural orientation is towards the west. The 17th century
Portuguese writer, Antonio Vieira wrote, "God gave the Portuguese a
small country as a cradle but all the world as their grave."1

There were mythical lands across sea as suggested by ancient
writing. Theopompue in 4th century B.C. wrote of a large western
land in the Atlantic. Pliny and Diodorus wrote of a large continent
beyond to the west. Solon of Greece in 600 B.C. visited Egypt and was
told of an island named Atlantis which Plato wrote about in his
Dialogues of 400 BC. His account tells of a powerful land outside the
columns of Hercules which was larger than Libya and Asia combined.
It was a land that was the way to other lands, but it sank during a
time of earthquakes and floods. The water was so muddy from its
sinking that it was impassable.2

But there were islands located in the Atlantic that were steeped in
myth and seen on early maps. They had names like the Fortunate
Isles, Antillia, Brazil, and California.3 There were stories, such as Irish
St. Brendan of Clonfert in 545 sailing from Kerry and finding islands
which may have been the Madeiras.4 On a Catalan chart these
mysterious Atlantic islands were identified as the Isles of St.
Brendan and lie only a few hundred miles off the Strait of Gilbraltar.5
Mohammad al Edrisi was credited at one time of having located a
series of islands which might have been the Cape Verdes, the
Maderias, the Canaries, or possibly the Azores. This was in the 12th
century.6

A Medici map of 1351 contained seven islands off the Portuguese
coast which were arranged in groups of three. There was the
southern group or the Goat Islands (Cabreras); there was the middle
group or the Wind or Dove Islands (De Ventura Sive de Columbis);
and there was the western island or the Brazil Island (De Brazil). On a
Catalan map of 1375, there were three Islands with the names of
Corvo, Flores, and Sao Jorge. It was thought that maybe the Genoese
may have discovered the Azores at that time and gave those names.7
These speculative sightings indicate that there was some ocean
exploration occurring, or at least, there was interest in what lay
beyond confines of continental Europe.

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Prince Henry the Navigator and the Age of Exploration

Portuguese Prince Infante Dom Henrique (1394-1460), or Henry the
Navigator, was exactly what the literature proclaimed him to be, the
founder of modern navigation.  He was singularly instrumental in
opening up the rest of the world to the Europeans. For the Azoreans,
he was their founding father as we shall see. Henry studied the sea,
weather, ships, geography and trade routes. He talked to navigators,
and sea captains. He brought to his navigation school, which he
founded at Sagres in 1416, cosmographers, mathematicians,
cartographers, and learned men of all kinds. He collected maps,
charts, books, and ephemera that would educate him and his circle of
adventurers.8

The motive for this industry was to find a sea route to link up with
the mythological Prester John, thereby encircling the Moslem world
and with armies driving them from northern Africa and the Holy
Land. To do this Henry needed money which he could garner through
trade once he found a sea route to India. He was the leader of the
religious-military organization, the Holy Order of Christ. Its program
of exploration, discovery, and settlement was for the purpose of
conquering the Muslims.9

Henry's first move was to defeat the Muslims at Ceuta (Morocco) in
order to free the African coast for exploration. He, his brothers,
and his father, King John I of Portugal, did this in 1415.10 Henry
experimented with ships and navigation during this venture, which
led to designing of the caravel, a long and slender ship (by
comparison) with lateen sails, that would be used by his Portuguese
explorers on their long voyages.11 Also the navigational instruments,
such as the astrolabe, quadrant, and cross-staff, were developed to
fix a ship's position. His captains kept logbooks of their voyages to
document their experience for the knowledge of others. They also
used flat maps to record longitude and latitude thereby simplifying
cartography methods.12

It took great courage to navigate the unexplored seas. Positions had
to be known to find one's way back. There were winds, weather
changes, and sea currents to master. A small wooden ship could be
broken at sea. Supplies of food and water could run out during a
voyage. Disease could strike. Superstition and fear would attack. It
took only the stout-hearted to head out onto the unknown waters on
a voyage of exploration.13

Next, Henry colonized the Madeira Islands which were accidentally
found by Joao Goncalves Zarco in 1419.14 They were uninhabited and
were to be used as a point of departure for further exploration and
in particular, for this study, the discovery and settlement of the
Azores.15 Camoes wrote in The Lusiads, "Thus far, O Portuguese, it is
granted to you to glimpse into the future and to know the exploits
that await your stout-hearted compatriots on the ocean that, thanks
to you is now no longer unknown."16 

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Discovery of the Azores

There are accounts that Henry sent his able seaman and knight
Goncalo Velho Cabral, in 1431, with the orders "to sail towards the
setting sun until he came to an island."17 Others say the islands had
been found accidentally by Portuguese sailors returning from a
voyage along the African coast or the Madeiras,18 but this is not
possible because the prevailing winds and ocean currents would not
have allowed it.19 Henry and his school of navigators knew there
were islands located a few hundred miles off the Portuguese coast
because they were shown on a Catalan map. In 1431, Cabral found a
series of volcanic rocks protruding out from under the water which
he named "formigas" or ants. He was just 25 miles from the nearest
Azorean island at the time which apparently was not visable to his
crew or him.  He returned to Henry and was sent out immediately
the next year to reexplore the area.20

On August 15, 1432, Cabral found Santa Maria, the easternmost
island of the Azorean archipelago. It was the feast day of the
Assumption of Our Blessed Mother, or Santa Maria, and consequently
named for her.21 The island was lush with forests, streams, and
birdlife.22 Apparently, there were many birds in flight, thought to be
goshawks, and hence, the islands got the Portuguese name "acor" or
hawk. However, there have never been goshawks there according to
ornithologists. Many believe the birds seen were the Azorean
buzzards.23

It is thought too that maybe the name for the islands came from this
statement written by Martin Behaim, the maker of the  Nuremburg
globe of 1492: "All birds found in the islands by the first settlers
were so tame that they came to the hand like hawks."24 Another
theory is that the word "raca" or "raka," meaning bird of prey in
Arabic, was translated to the Portugese acor. Raca appeared in an
Arab manuscript designating an island, or islands, in the same
location as the Azores.25

A letter written by Alfonso V, King of Portugal, dated July 2, 1439 is
the first known document with a reference to the Azores. Its content
reveals that there were seven islands and that Henry was given the
right to settle them.26 The next known document is a Majorcan map
of the same year which had seven islands and the date of discovery
was recorded as 1432.27 There have been differing versions
concerning the year-date of the discovery. It appears, after some
analysis by scholars, that 1432 is the correct date.28  Unfortunately,
there were no written accounts of the voyage by the participants.29
In fact, there is little information on the discoveries of the other
eight islands because of the same reason.

Sao Miguel was sighted followed next by Terceira, which means the
"third." Then the central group of islands were found which were
Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico, and Faial. And finally the western two
islands of Corvo and Flores were sighted in 1452 which concluded
the discovery of the archipelago.30 There is no evidence that
humankind had ever been on the islands.31 But there are mysteries.
There is the mystery of an equestrian statue on Corvo, and also the
mystery of the Phoenician or Carthagenian coins said to have found
there as well.32

Corvo along with Flores are the two westernmost islands of the
archipelago, and hence, the last inch of European soil. It was here in
the early 1500's, that Damiao de Goes, under the employment of King
Dom Manoel of Portugal, wrote of a statue of a man on horseback
pointing to the west which was clinging to a rocky ledge. The king
asked for a drawing of it, and after seeing the drawing, he sent
someone to bring it back. As the story goes, it was shattered in a
storm en route, but the king received the parts. There too was an
inscription in the rock below the statue, and an impression was taken
of it. But neither the shattered parts of the statue, nor the impression
of the inscription were ever found.33 Was it a hoax? Scholars are still
unsure.

Some have speculated that the statue was really just one of many
rock formations seen on the island and nothing more.34 Others feel it
did exist and could have been evidence of the lost continent of
Atlantis, or of another settlement of ancient peoples. Coins too were
found on Corvo, and their images were published in a journal of the
Society of Gothenberg. They were considered to be of Carthagenian or
Cyrenean origin by the society.35 A twentieth century Portuguese
scholar, made a serious effort to locate the coins. He went to the
convent to which they were first supposedly taken. He also visited
museums where he thought information could be found. But his
investigation turned up nothing.36

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Settlers and Settlement

At some point, following the discovery of Santa Maria, sheep were let
loose on the island before settlement actually took place.37 This was
done to supply the future settlers with food because there were no
animals on the island. Settlement didn't take place right away,
however. There was not much interest among the Portuguese people
in an isolated island world hundreds of miles from civilization.38 But
patiently Cabral gathered resources and settlers for the next three
years (1433-1436) and sailed to establish colonies on Santa Maria
first and then later on Sao Miguel.39

Brush had to be cleared and rocks removed for the planting of
crops.40 Grain, grape vines, sugar cane, and other plants suitable for
settler use and of commercial value, were planted. Domesticated
animals were brought, such as, cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs. Houses
were built and villages established.41

The first settlers were a mixed group of people from the Portuguese
provinces of Algarve and Minho.42 Also, Madeirans, Moorish
prisoners, black slaves,43 French, Italians, Scots, English, and
Flemings were among the early settlers.44 There were petty
criminals, Spanish clergy, Jews, soldiers, government officials,
European merchants and sugar cane growers.45

The purpose of the Azorean colony was to service the mother
country with commodities and tribute. It was to be a station for
Portuguese ships to be  resupplied and repaired. The islands too
were to produce crops for trade. In its peak trade years, there would
be more than one hundred ships anchored at the Bay of Angra.46
Slaves had to be removed from the islands and sent to Brazil and the
Caribbean because there was concern about a slave insurrection.47

The islands were colonized under the Holy Order of Christ,48
and the settlers were to be Christians. There were many languages,
but after awhile Portuguese became the standard language
of communication.49 Because of the isolated nature of the islands, and
the harshness of the land, and at times, climate, all settlers,
regardless of their background, had to work together to survive. This
gave the people a sense of equality and togetherness. As a
consequence, more settlers were given the right to purchase land.50
There were some slaves on the islands, and there were lingering
concerns about a slave revolt which no settler wanted. Soon the
slaves were sent to Brazil and to the Caribbean.51

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The Flemings

People from Flanders settled in the Azores beginning in 1450. These
Flemish settlers played an important role in the creation of the
Azorean culture. By 1490, there were 2,000 Flemings living in the
islands of Terceira, Pico, Faial, Sao Jorge, and Flores.52 Because there
was such a large Flemish settlement, the Azores became known as
the Flemish Islands or the Isles of Flanders.53   

Henry was responsible for this settlement. His sister, Isabel, was
married to Duke Philip of Burgundy of which Flanders was a part.
There was a revolt against Philip's rule and disease and hunger
became rampant. Isabel appealed to Henry to allow some of the
unruly Flemings to settle in the Azores. He granted this and supplied
them with the necessary transportation and goods.54

First group of Flemings was led by Willem van de Hagen, later known
by his Portuguese name of Guilherme da Silveira. They settled in
Terceira, and the Flemish nobleman, Jacome de Bruges, was placed in
charge. The next contingents went to the islands of Faial, Flores, Sao
Jorge,55 and Pico.56 Joos van Huerter founded the city of Horta on
Faial57 where evidence of the Flemish people and culture still exists
today. Faial was in fact called the Flemish Island and the valley
behind the city still has the name, the Valley of the Flemings or O
Valle dos Flamengo.58   

But the Flemish language disappeared before long, and the Flemish
settlers changed their names to Portuguese forms. For example, van
der Hagen became Silveira, and Huerter became Dutra or Utra.59
Flemish physical traits of light hair, light complexion, and blue eyes
can still be seen in the features of many Azoreans. Flemish oxcarts
and windmills are still seen on the islands.60 The Flemish beghards
and beguines (lay-religious group) brought the Festival of the Holy
Spirit and their distinctive cloaks and hoods to the islands.61 There
are many religious statuary, paintings, and furniture found in
Azorean churches and museums which show the Flemish influence.62

An interesting sidelight is the speculation that some Flemish people
may have reached the North Carolina coast inadvertently during this
migratory activity. In North Carolina, there was a group of people,
calling themselves the Melungeons, who had light colored skin and
identified themselves as Portuguese. These were not Native
Americans. It is thought, that maybe one of the ships bound for the
Azores, coming from Flanders, may have overshot the islands and
found its way to the Carolina coast, but evidence is lacking.63

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Captain-Donatary System

The captain-donatary system of government was a conception of
Prince Henry. He tried it first at Madeira and then next in the Azores.
The system was duplicated throughout the Portuguese colonies and
also used by the Spanish in their empire. It simply was a system by
which absentee landowners could control their property and also
receive payments from the peasant tenants on crop production.64
Alfonso V, King of Portugal gave Henry the privilege of settling seven
of the Azores Islands. Alfonso awarded the same privilege to his
uncle, Alfonso Duke of Braganca, to settle Corvo, and to Dona Maria
de Vilhena to settle the island of Flores.65

Henry made Cabral "captain" (governor) of Santa Maria and Sao
Miguel. Van der Hagen became captain of Flores and Corvo, and
Graciosa was given to Pedro de Correia, who was Christopher
Columbus' brother-in-law. Van Huerta was designated captain-
donatary of Faial, Pico, and Sao Jorge, while de Bruges was given the
same title for Terceira.66 The difference between a "captain-
donatary" and a "captain" was the former was able to pass along his
title as inheritance while the latter could not.67

The captains and captains-donatary were like governors who had full
control over their domain. They held the office of judge. They could
make land grants. They monopolized the gristmills, public baking
ovens, and salt sales. Henry and his successors got a 10% tax from
these monopolies, and his captains got 10% of his 10%.68 The land
they granted was subdivided for tenant farming. This way the lands
were farmed by peasants who had no ownership and had to pay high
rent and tax. This system lasted for centuries and was one key
reason for the high Azorean emigration. There simply was no way
the peasants could advance up the socio-economic ladder.69

Through this system the King of Portugal had control over his lands
and had administrators in place to manage and to collect royal
tribute. Shortly, the land grant owners became wealthy and wanted
more control over government. As a result, municipal districts were
established with town councils where appropriate. This was a
pseudo-democratic system which allowed input into local
governmental policy. But in reality, the wealthy and the absentee
landowners still controlled the islands.70

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In the Middle of the Atlantic

The Azores Islands lie about 700 miles off the Portuguese coast; 750
miles from Africa;71 1,100 miles from Newfoundland; and 2,200
miles from the east coast of the United States. It is nearly midway
between Europe and the North America.72 The archipelago stretches
about 375 miles from end to end and are found in three separate
groups. They are volcanic in composition.73   

There are three theories on the genesis of the islands: (1) they could
be the last vestages of a large continent such as Atlantis; (2) they
could be the ragged edges of two continental plates pulling apart; or,
(3) they could be molten lava seeping from a large crack in the ocean
floor, cooled by ocean water, and rising to the ocean surface.74 The
latter seems to be the most probable as determined by the experts.
The islands are essentially the tips of a large undersea mountain
range, referred to as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which stretches the
entire length of the Atlantic Ocean, from north to south. It is made up
of nearly100 volcanoes, some active and some dormant, with 19
hovering over 3,280 feet above sea level. Pico Alto, on the island of
Pico, is the  highest volcano at 7,711 feet.75 Because of these
volcanoes, there is virtually no flatland on the islands.76

Table 1 below shows the varying sizes and heights of the islands. Sao
Miguel is the largest in size with Corvo being the smallest having
only 4 square miles of surface. Sao Miguel, Sao Jorge, and Pico are the
longest islands with an average length of about 35 miles. Most of the
islands are generally from 7 to 10 miles wide and have mountainous
topography. 

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      Table 1
      Size and Elevation of the Azores Islands

Island         Area      Length        Width      % Below        % Above
      (sq mi)             (mi)       (mi)      1,000 Feet  1,000 Feet
_____________________________________________________________
Santa Maria   37.5      10.4      6.2      86.4      13.6
Sao Miguel   288.0      39.9      9.9      52.7      47.3
Terceira   162.9      18.0           11.2      55.6      44.4
Graciosa    23.9      7.8      4.7      94.5          5.7
Sao Jorge    95.0      34.1      4.2      30.1      69.9
Faial       66.8      13.1      8.7      53.5      46.5
Pico      172.2      33.2      9.2      41.2      58.8
Flores       52.2      10.5      7.7      32.5      67.5
Corvo        4.0      4.0      2.5      45.1      54.9
Total           808.1                       
_____________________________________________________
Source: James H. Guill, A History of the Azores Islands
 & Jerry R. Williams, And Yet They Come.77

The islands are irregular in shape with most of the land sloping
upward towards the volcanic peaks. The sea coast has cliffs that are
several hundred feet high. The lower shorelines have coves that
serve as harbors. Horta on the island of Faial has the best natural
harbor in the islands. There are fine harbors at Ponta Delgada on Sao
Miguel and Angra on Terceira.78 The water is deep offshore, from 1-
2 miles in most cases, reminding one that these islands are the tops
of a mountain range having great vertical relief.79 The water
between Pico and Faial is 300 feet deep which indicates that these
two islands were undoubtedly one island at one point.80

In the 1880's, American Lyman Weeks visited the islands and
describes vividly what he saw:

   The shore is high and precipitous, and dangerous headlands
   project outward  in all directions; while reefs of hoary rocks,
   spume-covered and washed by  angry waves, form a protecting
   cordon about the land. Over the edges of dark  sea-cliffs, little
   rivulets, like silver threads upon cloth of a frieze, trickle  down
   into the ocean. The fields are crossed and recrossed with
   hedges of bamboo,  which divide the land into a regular
   checker-work of cultivation and pasturage.  Groups of white
   buildings, with a steepled church always in the midst, occupy
   the most conspicuos locations.81 

[Corissa]

Climate

Azorean climate is temperate having temperatures usually between
75 to 50 degrees F.82 There is a band of high pressure, called the
"Azores High," which keeps storms away from the islands.83 The
ocean currents run clockwise around the northern Atlantic with the
warm Gulf Stream helping to keep the Azorean climate mild.84

Average rainfall varies with each island. For example, Flores receives
54.8 inches of rain a year while Sao Miguel gets 28.7. Humidity
averages about 75% throughout the islands with a normal range from
59% to 99%.85 Snow covers Alto Pico during the colder winter
months, a time for storms and heavy winds. Corvo and Flores in the
western part of the island chain get polar fronts that swing through
leaving heavy rain.86 Tropical cyclones and hurricanes have
pummeled the islands during September and October when low
pressure allows them through.87 One such hurricane struck the
islands on August 30, 1857. At the American consulate in Horta, J.P.
Dabney describes what he witnessed:

   About nine o'clock the wind shifted suddenly from W. to N.N.W.
   and in a short   time the hurricane was upon us. For about two
   and a half hours it blew as I   never saw it blow before. The
   Bay with the wind off shore was one white mass   of foam, and
   at times the vessels were almost swallowed up in spray . . . The   
   growth and labor of years destroyed in one moment! I never
   saw such a wreck!   Some paths were impassable from the
   trees that had fallen across them and   over one hundred pine
   trees were broken short off . . . the corn laid flat on   the
   ground, in every direction . . . the poor farmers seem in despair
   and yet    they never murmur.88