Spanish volcanoes are not only found in the Canary Islands, you have them much closer, although those we can visit on the peninsula are considered inactive.
For a volcano to be considered active, an eruption must have occurred within the last 10,000 years. It seems like a long time, but in geological terms it’s the day before yesterday. The recent eruption on the island of La Palma reminded us all that there are very, very active volcanoes in Spanish territory.
In the Canary Islands there are more than forty volcanoes, most of them active. The most famous is the Teide, the highest peak in Spain at 3,715 meters. The last eruption of Teide was that of Chinyero in 1909, which lasted ten days. In 2011, the underwater volcano Tagoro erupted off the coast of El Hierro. The last major volcanic eruption on the surface of Spain before the current one occurred precisely on the island of La Palma, in October 1971, when the TeneguÃa volcano, inactive since 1677, began to spew lava explosively for ten days.
The volcanism of the Canary Islands is evident, as the islands themselves are the result of volcanic activity at a hot spot in the earth’s crust. The Atlantic Atlantic plate slowly moves above the African continental plate. La Palma and El Hierro are the youngest in the chain of islands, they are still above the hotspot and in the phase of construction of the volcanic shield, so they are the ones that have registered the greatest activity.
But let’s not forget that in Spain there are more volcanoes. These are some of the ones you can visit right near where you live.
La Garrotxa, Girona
Hermitage of Santa Margerida in the crater of the volcano. Photograph: Miquel González Page
The other large volcanic area on the peninsula is the region of La Garrotxa, in Girona, near the Pyrenees. This area is protected as a Natural Park (Natural Park of the Zona Volcà nica de la Garrotxa) and contains around forty volcanoes that, in theory, are no longer active. The last eruption (on Croscat) occurred about 11,000 years ago. However, the region is still seismically active, and we must not forget that the classification is arbitrary. A major earthquake that originated in this area in 1428 caused damage to buildings and twenty deaths in Barcelona, ​​​​90 kilometers to the south. There were more recent earthquakes, in 1901 and 1902, but they caused almost no damage.
The Croscat volcano in La Garrotxa
Not to be missed is the Santa Margarida volcano, in the municipality of Santa Pau. The last eruption was 11,000 years ago and is at an altitude of 700 meters. Its extensive mouth is today a large meadow with an area of ​​two kilometers in perimeter where the Romanesque church of Santa Margarida is located. The climb is worth it. Between Santa Pau and Olot is the Croscat volcano. The appearance is very different, as for years it was dedicated to the exploration of clay. However, it is one of the biggest volcanoes on the peninsula, and you can explore its interior. As we are in the area, the medieval city of Santa Pau is a must-see.
Cabo de Gata, Almeria
Pico de los Frailes volcano in Cabo de Gata. Photograph: Sofia
The coast of AlmerÃa, where the Cabo de Gata park is located, is the only region in continental Europe with a truly hot desert climate. The rocks that make up the Serra de Cabo de Gata are very peculiar and tell us about its volcanic past. Unlike the rocks of the neighboring Serra Bética, which are metamorphic (formed by the action of pressure and heat in the earth’s crust) in the Cabo de Gata region, the rocks are magmatic.
The Cabo de Gata volcanic complex was formed about 15 million years ago. It is the emerging part of an expanse of submerged magma that extends across the Alboran Sea. It is a wild and isolated landscape with some of the oldest geological formations in Europe.
Playa de las Negras and Cerro Negro in Cabo de Gata. Photograph: Jose Jimenez
Although millions of years have passed, the marks of volcanoes can still be seen. The current Rodalquilar valley is a huge volcanic crater. Mónsul beach is a fossilized lava tongue. The black hill is a mountain of volcanic material, and you can also see volcanic domes like Cerro del Fraile in the Los Escullos area.
Campo de Cartagena, Murcia
Basalt cliff in Isla Grosa
About 7 million years ago, in the area where the Mar Menor now stands, there were numerous volcanic eruptions that lasted until about 2.8 million years ago. The remains of all this activity are the islands found in the Mar Menor, the Isla Grosa, which is found in the Mediterranean outside the Mar Menor, or some remains of cones such as Carmolà or Cabezo Beaza.
Cabezo Negro de Tallante volcano
It is also for this reason that in this area there are mountains of basalt, a volcanic rock in which crystals of olivine, augite and hornblende can be distinguished with the naked eye. One of the extinct volcanoes where these rocks can be seen is Tallante.
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