The Fajã dos Cubres is a permanent debris field, known as a

fajã (, of unknown etymology) is a Portuguese term of obscure origin used to describe Supralittoral zone, supratidal scree, talus at the foot of coastal cliffs, caused by landslides or lava flows.G. Lameiras et al. (2009), p.827 Although relatively c ...

, built from the collapsing cliffs on the northern coast of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Ribeira Seca, in the municipality of Calheta, island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese archipelago of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

History

The spit received its name from the seaside goldenrod ('' Solidago azorica''), a small yellow flowering plant, that is common to the fajã. This species, common along the eastern coast of the United States, spread throughout many of the islands of the archipelago. The size of the fajã has been attributed to the 9 July 1757 earthquake, considered the most violent tectonic quake that occurred in the Azores.Amigos dos Açores (2013), p.16 This seismic event was characterized by violent movements of land (landslides, collapses and rockfalls) that were responsible for the creation of several fajãs on the island, such as the Fajã of Ponta Nova, and the growth of pre-existing fajãs. The event, and associated aftershocks, were responsible for the destruction in Fajã dos Vimes, Fajã do São João and Fajã dos Cúberes, where ''"it moved the land, from the centre above, with luck, in them, there is no sign of buildings."''Amigos dos Açores (2013), p.17 The earthquake produced major damage in Calheta and caused the death of 1034 on the island of São Jorge.Nunes et al. (2003), p.266-268 The Hermitage of Nossa Senhora das Lurdes was open to the faithful on 18 October 1908. It was offered to the public by António Faustino Nunes, a native of this fajã and later emigrant to California. To the rear of the church is a tidal well, who some believed its waters were considered miraculous. During the 1980 earthquake several buildings were damaged.

Geography

The fajã is an irregular form, with four small islets, and is heavily influenced by tidal waters, due to the diffusion of salt water into the lagoon. In comparison with the lagoon of the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, there is no canal to the sea, which affects the dynamic of this ecosystem. Morton (1998) identified two areas: one along the west, where the tidal waters rise between (and which the salinity is elevated between 10-26%) and the eastern section, where salinity levels are between 0-6%. This milder salinity even allows the survival of a small population of frog (''

Rana esculenta The edible frog (''Pelophylax'' kl. ''esculentus'') is a hybrid species of common European frog, also known as the common water frog or green frog (however, this latter term is also used for the North American species ''Rana clamitans''). It i ...

''). Of the plants that exist at Fajã dos Cubres the predominant species include, the sharp-pointed rush (''

Juncus acutus ''Juncus acutus'', the spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush, is a flowering plant in the monocot family Juncaceae. It is native to the Americas, Northern and Southern Africa, Western and Southern Europe and West Asia, and is found in a v ...

''), along the lagoon, Queen Anne's lace (''

Daucus carota ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

'') and the Azorean

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being '' Euphorbia ampliphyl ...

('' Euphorbia azorica''). The presence of estuary grasses (''

Ruppia maritima ''Ruppia maritima'' is an aquatic plant species commonly known as beaked tasselweed, beaked ditchgrass, ditch grass, tassel pondweed and widgeon grass. Despite its scientific name, it is not a marine plant; is perhaps best described as a salt- ...

'') within the lagoon is of great importance, since they were exceptional within the Azores (and only at this site). The fajã has a variety of typical marine flora and fauna, and its lagoon has become a natural refuge for diverse marine and migratory birds. Nesting birds include the

Cory's shearwater Cory's shearwater (''Calonectris borealis'') is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on the archipelago of the Azores in the eastern Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic. ...

(''Calonectris diomedea borealis''),

common snipe The common snipe (''Gallinago gallinago'') is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. Distribution and habitat The breeding habitats are marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout the Palearctic. In the north, the distribution li ...

(''Gallinago gallinago''),

yellow-legged gull The yellow-legged gull (''Larus michahellis'') is a large gull found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Cas ...

(''Larus cachinnans atlantis'') and the

common tern The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in Temperateness, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is stron ...

(''Sterna hirundo''). In addition, annually, farmers bring cattle down to the fajã to graze. Although prohibited now, at one time fishing occurred in the lagoon, mostly mullet and

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

, using netting techniques. The fajã, which is part of Ribeira Seca, is west of the larger, Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo. It is accessible by a winding road that descends the northern cliffs from the village of

Norte Pequeno Norte Pequeno is a '' freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national ...

. Until 1993 this was a dirt roadway, and crossed many small bridges, where water drained from the plateau, but it was eventually asphalted by regional authorities. The settlement constitutes a unique countryside, with a mix of buildings with modern and older amenities. A primary school has at some times operated, based on the number of available students, with most children bused to the larger secondary schools on the plateau.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faja dos Cubres São Jorge Island Calheta, Azores Ramsar sites in Portugal Cubres

History

Geography

See also

References