Mount Pico ( pt, Montanha do Pico) is a currently quiescent
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...
located on
Pico Island
Pico Island (''Ilha do Pico,'' ) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid- ...
, in the mid-Atlantic archipelago of the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. It is the highest mountain in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
, at above sea level, and is one of the highest Atlantic mountains; it is more than twice the elevation of any other peak in the Azores. It has been a designated nature reserve since 1972.
Eruptive history
Historical
eruptions of Pico have occurred from vents on its flanks rather than the summit crater. In 1562–1564, an eruption on the southeast flank produced
lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
s which reached the sea. Another flank eruption in 1718 also produced flows which reached the coast. The most recent eruption occurred in December 1720.
On 29 September 2009 there were reports from local news sources that indicated that a
fumarole existing at the pinnacle of the mountain (Piquinho) began emitting volcanic gas. The region's seismic and volcanological monitoring centre ( pt, CIVISA Centro de Informação e Vigilância Sismovulcânica dos Açores) indicated that the phenomenon occurred in the early morning, turning intense and visible in various points throughout the island and from
Faial. Although the event resulted from exceptional meteorological conditions and was visible in the Central Group, there was no liberation of anomalous volcanic gases and all other parameters fell within norms.
Geology
Mount Pico volcano is part of the Madalena Volcanic Complex, one of three volcanological units that comprise the island of Pico, associated with three historic eruptions in 1562, 1718 and 1720.
[José Madeira & António Brum da Silveira (October 2003), p.748] Current morphology suggests an age dating to the
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
age, confirmed by radiocarbon dates younger than 6000 years.
[ Structurally, this complex can be subdivided into two other sections: the Pico Volcano and the East Fissural Zone.][
Pico is a stratovolcano (or composite), with a pit crater on its summit.][ ''Pico Alto'' is the round ]crater
Crater may refer to:
Landforms
* Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
* Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surf ...
about 500 meters (1,600 ft) in diameter and 30 meters deep that tops the volcano, with ''Piquinho'' or ''Pico Pequeno'' (both names meaning "small peak" in Portuguese), a small volcanic cone, rising 70 metres within it to form the true summit. Meanwhile, the East Fissural Zone comprises several alignments of Hawaiian/Stromboli
Stromboli ( , ; scn, Struògnuli ) is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli, one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Si ...
an cinder cones and associated lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
s, which overflowed many of the cliffs, cut in older units and originated lava deltas ( pt, fajãs).[
The tectonic structure is characterized by two fault systems.][ The main WNW-ESE structures are the dextral faults of Lagoa do Capitão and Topo, that merge to the east, forming a narrow shallow ]graben
In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults.
Etymology
''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic conte ...
(or trench).[ To the west, the graben is completely covered by the Pico stratovolcano occurring less than 10,000 years ago, and infilled by lava flows and cones of the Eastern Fissural zone, that includes many of the volcanic alignments and scarps.][ The second fault zone, running NNW-SSE, are markedly less in number and includes normal left lateral, oblique slip faults responsible for the main volcanic eruptions: the Lomba de Fogo-São João fault (basis of the 1718 eruption) and the Santo António volcanic alignment.][
On top of Pico (at Piquinho) there is an area of permanent degasification characterized by the emission of water vapour at a temperature of between 50 °C to 75 °C. In addition, other vents also exist between and above sea level, as well as diffuse degasification along the graben between the Lagoa do Capitão and Topo faults. There is also a ]carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...
-rich spring in the locality of Silveira (along the southern coast of Lajes do Pico
Lajes do Pico () is a town and municipality in the central Azores. It is one of three municipalities of the island of Pico. It has 4,342 inhabitants as of 2021, in an area of 155.31 km2. It is bordered by Madalena to the west and by São Roq ...
, formed in the base of Pico.
Observatory
Mount Pico's long topographic isolation
The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum distance to a point of equal elevation, representing a radius of dominance in which the peak is the highest point. It can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for major mounta ...
and low altitude marine boundary layer makes it an ideal place for the study of aerosol
An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be natural or anthropogenic. Examples of natural aerosols are fog or mist, dust, forest exudates, and geyser steam. Examples of anthropogen ...
particles. In 1998, an observatory station (PICO-NARE) was placed on the summit caldera at altitude. The observatory was founded and is operated by the University of the Azores, with the cooperation of the Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michiga ...
, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is a scientific institute that is part of the University of Colorado Boulder. Its research mission is to " evelopscientific knowledge of physical and biogeochemical environmental processes at ...
, and the University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
, along with other international scientists, and is designed to study the impacts that air pollutants emitted in North America and Europe have on the atmosphere over the North Atlantic Ocean.
Furna vegetada na área protegida da Montanha do Pico em Açores.jpg, Vegetated cavern on Mount Pico
Montanha do Pico Crater.jpg, The pit crater rim of ''Pico Alto'' on the summit of Pico volcano
Montanha do Pico Piquinho.jpg, The pinnacle of the mountain: ''Piquinho'' or ''Pico Pequeno''
Mount Pico from Graciosa.jpg, Mount Pico as it can be seen from Graciosa island (the air distance is about 70 km)
Montanha do Pico, aspectos 5 ilha do Pico, Açores, Portugal.JPG, The landscape of the East Fissural Zone with some scoria cones.
Vista da montanha do pico ao nascer do sol.jpg, View of Madalena and Faial Island.
File:Pico-HortaFaial (crop).jpg, Snow on the mountain peak in early 2006.
See also
* List of European ultra prominent peaks
This is a list of all the mountains in Europe with ultra-prominent peaks with topographic prominence greater than . The column "Col" denotes the highest elevation to which one must descend from a peak in order to reach peaks with higher elevation ...
* Mons Pico
Mons Pico is a solitary lunar mountain that lies in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin, to the south of the dark-floored crater Plato and on the southern rim of a ghost crater. This peak forms part of the surviving inner ring of the Imb ...
References
;Notes
;Sources
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External links
Photographic chronicle of a climb to the top of the Pico volcano.
Pico - A Ilha Montanha Atlantica - Flickr Group
Recent pictures of a climb to the top of Pico volcano.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pico
Mountains of Portugal
Extreme points of Portugal
Stratovolcanoes of Portugal
Pico Island
Two-thousanders of Portugal
Geology of the Azores
Highest points of countries
Holocene stratovolcanoes