ATLANTIS & the Atlantic Ocean

   Gran Canaria


Marteles Maar in the foreground and several cinder cones in the background are part of a group of Quaternary monogenetic volcanoes in northern Gran Canaria. The largely Miocene-to-Pliocene island in the middle of the Canary archipelago contains three major volcanic structures, which have been modified by caldera collapse, gravitational edifice failure, and extensive erosion. Very young basaltic cones and lava flows of Holocene age are situated within the island and at Las Isletas, a peninsula on the NE coast.

Photo by Alexander Belousov (Institute of Volcanology, Kliuchi).


Country: Spain
Subregion Name: Canary Islands
Volcano Number: 1803-04-
Volcano Type: Fissure vents
Volcano Status: Radiocarbon
Last Known Eruption: 20 BC ± 75 years 
Summit Elevation: 1950 m 6,398 feet
Latitude: 28.00°N  28°0'0"N
Longitude: 15.58°W 15°35'0"W
The largely Miocene-to-Pliocene island of Gran Canaria in the middle of the Canary archipelago has been strongly eroded into steep-walled radial gorges called barrancos. Three major volcanic structures form the circular 60-km-wide island, which has been modified by caldera collapse, gravitational edifice failure, and extensive erosion. Middle Quaternary scoria cones and lava flows are found in the northern and eastern parts of the massive shield volcano, which is cut by a major NW-SE-trending rift zone that extends across the island and fed flows primarily to the NE. Very young basaltic cones and lava flows of Holocene age are situated within a NW-trending zone from Berrazales to Bandama and at Las Isletas, a peninsula on the NE coast. One cinder cone was radiocarbon dated at about 3000 years before present, and other cones and flows may be less than 1000 years old.