The creation of Fuerteventura.
Fuerteventura – the "Oldie" amongst the Canary Islands.
The first steps in the creation of Fuerteventura have been made some 250 million years ago, however its rise above the water surface dates from about 23 million years ago, which makes it the oldest island of the Canaries. Here is its story with the then occurring general geologic and climate conditions on our planet. The duration of the geologic periods have been rounded to accommodate reading. At the end of each period you will get suggestions to visit remnants of the described locations and geologic events.
WARNING: Please do NOT collect any fossil, stone or whatever geologic / archaeological element from any site! Not only is it highly disrespectful to the history of Fuerteventura, but additionally, the penalties are horrendous, including imprisonment. If you find anything which seems to be of scientific value, leave it where you found it and call the local authorities: Tel.: 928 862 328 (Cabildo of Fuerteventura), Guardia Civil: 928 851 100 (SEPRONA), Environmental Agency: 928 852 106 (Agentes de Medio Ambiente) or the police (Policia Local) – please do NOT call the emergency number!
Nutshell Data Sheet Fuerteventura:
2nd largest island of the Canary Islands.
Surface: 1660km2 (Fuerteventura) + 15km2 (Lobos).
Longest distance: 100km.
Highest point: Pico de la Zarza (807m)
Climate: very dry (<100mm/Y.m2)
Base: one massive lava block, supporting Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, with a base on the Ocean floor, some 3000m below sea level.
What we can see today from Fuerteventura is merely a remnant of what it has been, millions of years ago. Due to the heavy erosion of Fuerteventura, we now are able to see the very deepest geological structures of the historic volcanic activity that created this wonderful island. The looks of the island today has been created by changes in climate, by changing sea levels and by a vertical movement of the island itself, due to weight loss caused by heavy erosion. Thanks to the lack of vegetation, this island shows its geologic history without any masking.
Basically, Fuerteventura has been created by two fundamentally different cycles: submarine volcanism and daylight volcanism + erosion. Both cycles result in different types of mineral.
Typical features of Fuerteventura are an omnipresent chalk crust (Caliche), dunes (Jables), collapsed slopes (Abanicos), a sediment layer in Costa Calma at 10m above sea level and another one in the peninsula Jandía at 65m above sea level. Both layers are testimonies of increased sea levels in the past.
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Overview of interesting places that are mentioned in the article "The creation of Fuerteventura". Please find below a list of places with their respective Google coordinates and a map:
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This South - to - North track leads you to some interesting spots where you can see ancient witnesses of the volcanic history of Fuerteventura.
The track should be done in an off-road vehicle and off-road experience is required. |
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This North - to - South track leads you to some interesting spots where you can see ancient witnesses of the volcanic history of Fuerteventura.
The track should be done in an off-road vehicle and extended off-road experience is strongly advised.
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This short track leads you to some interesting spots where you can see ancient witnesses of the volcanic history of Fuerteventura and at the end you will enjoy impressive views of a natural gate.
The track can be done by walking and is light.
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