04-24-2017 03:46 PM - edited 04-24-2017 03:59 PM
Hello everyone,
One of my big passions in life is volcanoes. Before I moved to live on a volcanic island in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa, I was fortunate to visit many (active) volcanoes on a number of continents around the world. They say there are more than 500 active volcanoes, so I don't think I will manage to visit them all, but I would LOVE fellow local guides to post their volcano photos, so I can enjoy them here on Connect and perhaps have an easier time to decide which volcanoes around the world should be on the top of my "bucket list" 🙂
I would like to kick off this thread on volcanoes, with Mount Teide, Spain's largest mountain, the third most voluminous mountain in the world (measuring from the sea floor Mnt. Teide is way taller that Mount Everest) and by some volcanologists Volcan Teide is listed amongst the world most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Don't worry though, for the last thousands of years, it has only done relative "innocent" eruptions. The so called red type, versus the more dangerous and destructive grey type eruptions.
The main danger is actually the stability of the mountain. The tectonic plate is pulling the mountain one way and the gravity is pulling it another way. One of the local volcanologists is predicting that this will cause a major landslide. One on a much larger scale by the way than the one predicted for our neighbouring island La Palma, that is threatening the East Coast of the United States...as many of you may know if you have seen one of the Discovery Channel documentaries on this topic. Any way, I am diverting here.
The last eruption on Tenerife was from a volcanic vent called Chinyero and this occurred in November 1909. In the last thousand year or so, the mountain has erupted more or less, every one hundred years, so in fact, an eruption could be expected. We had some magma movement below the island in 2006, but it turned out that the volcano was only "breathing". The last eruption that occurred in our volcanic archipelago, called the Canary Islands, was on the island El Hierro in 2011. After a swarm of earthquakes a new submarine volcano was born just of the coast. I went there to see the ocean bubbling in the distance and collected a piece of pumice rock that had been floating at the surface. Pretty cool!
Some volcanologist speculated that this eruption depressurised the magma chamber under Tenerife, so it might be a while before the next eruption will take place. Here are some photos:
@IdaT sorry for the delay, I had some technical problem. Now your turn with pictures of the volcano close to your house.
@AllanC and @Fe EstanielB please show us your volcano pics!
@arturoa, I have been many times at Mount Etna and was lucky to see and hear it erupt (although not any of those amazing lava fountains). Do you have a photo of a smoke ring on Etna or some photos of Stromboli erupting?
Are their other local guides that live on or near a volcano or perhaps wish to share a volcano from their country. It doesn't have to be active, so people in Germany, please share some photos of the Eifel or people in Scotland perhaps a nice pic of Arthur's seat in Edinburgh?
Thank you all. I am looking forward to your contributions. Let's share volcanoes around the world here.
Jeroen
04-24-2017 04:01 PM - edited 04-24-2017 04:59 PM
Thanks @IlankovanT. Looking forward to your photos @CharlesT 🙂
I was fortunate to have visited La Reunion, it was not active at the time though.
04-24-2017 06:53 PM - edited 04-25-2017 08:37 AM
Hi Jeroen,
Well, I think that you need go to Hawaii NOW! 🙂
Everything and everyplace there is beautiful. And the volcanos... well, they are just incredibles.
04-24-2017 08:30 PM
Your pictures are great.
I like volcanos to.
04-25-2017 02:39 AM
Aloha
Thank you for bringing back some great memories. I have been to most of the Hawaiian islands three times. We did even consider moving there, instead of moving to Tenerife. Besides walking over an active lava flow on the Big Island, my two other favourites memories are definitely the sacred area and beach at the end of the Na Pali coast walk and definitely the caldera of Haleakala that you posted from Maui. There we were very lucky that a group had cancelled the cabin of the National Park in the caldera. and we had the whole place to ourselves. We were surrounded by a beautiful family of Nenenes, the geese that have claws adapted to the volcanic environment.
If I remember correctly, your photo of the sunset is very appropriate. Isn't there a legend that a Hawaiian boy was rescued by the sun and that he climbed up the sun-rays?
Jero
05-21-2017 06:04 PM
Hi there, I am living in Edinburgh and as you said we have a volcano right at our door step. Not active but pretty and a great walk. Trying to find photos of when last time I went up it but I just have way to many un organised photos. Need to take another trip up it soon.