Roque Cinchado is a volcanic rock formation regarded as emblematic of 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 ...
(
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 lies within the
Teide National Park
Teide National Park (, ) is a national park located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
The national park is centered on Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain (3,718 meters high) in addition, the highest volcano in the Atlantic Ocean isl ...
(a
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
) in the municipality of
La Orotava
La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...
, near
Teide volcano, in the heart of the island. Alternatively named 'gods finger', Roque Cinchado is located about 1700 meters below the summit of Teide volcano. It belongs to a group of rock formations, remnants of the former summit of the island, known as "Roques García."
Roque Cinchado is a 27-metre high rock pillar, composed mostly of volcaniclastic sedimentary rock layers
Its upper sedimentary layers have been
intruded
Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form ''intrusions'', such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.Intrusive RocksIntrusive rocks accessdate: March 27 ...
by two
sills of lava, which have made the upper part of the pillar more resistant to erosion.
The rock appeared on one thousand
peseta bank notes, with Teide in the background.
See also
*
Geology of the Canary Islands
The geology of the Canary Islands is dominated by volcanoes and volcanic rock. The Canary Islands are a group of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Northwest Africa. The main islands are Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gr ...
References
External links
Roque Cinchado
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinchado, Roque
Geography of Tenerife
Rock formations of the Canary Islands
Sills (geology)