Pico Viejo is a
volcano
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
located on the island of
Tenerife
Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
in
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It is the second highest peak of Tenerife and the Canary Islands (after
Teide), with a summit height of 3,129 m above sea level, and a crater approximately 720 metres in diameter.
The volcano is part of the
Teide volcanic complex, which began forming about 200,000 years ago in the center of
Tenerife
Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
. Its crater is one of the satellite craters around Teide.
It last erupted in 1798, and it is estimated that it ejected around 12 million m³ of lava over three months forming a black colored surface, which is different from the rest of the volcano area, which are known as the Teide noses.
Climbing routes
Pico Viejo can be climbed from several sides: from the road in the west and south-west, from the hotel Parador, and from
Mount Teide.
The shortest approach from the west and south-west side is if you start from the parking Narices del Teide. From the Parador side, the route starts at the parking area.
See also
*
Mount Guajara
*
Teide National Park
References
Geology of the TeidePico Viejo - Route descriptionon Mountains for Everybody.
External links
Teide National Park - Official Website of Tenerife Tourism Corporation
{{coord, 28.262, -16.668, type:mountain_region:ES, display=title
Mountains of the Canary Islands
Volcanoes of the Canary Islands
VEI-5 volcanoes
Active volcanoes
Stratovolcanoes
Hotspot volcanoes
Tenerife
Holocene stratovolcanoes