adminTerceira Island is one of the most beautiful islands in the Azores, with a volcanic landscape full of stunning places and sites of geological interest, Terceira island It has established itself as one of the main tourist destinations in the Azores, due to its rich histry and culture, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angra do Heroísmo, but Terceira island volcanoes make up some of the most spectacular and beautiful landscapes in the entire Azores archipelago and are something not to be missed when you visit Terceira island.
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Terceira island volcanoes
Like the other islands in the Azores archipelago, Terceira island has a rich geodiversity and an important geological heritage, made up of places of scientific, educational and tourist interest, encompassed in the Azores Geopark. You should definitely explore Terceira island volcanoes and its geomorphology, dominated by three large volcanic massifs, Cinco Picos, Guilherme Moniz-Pico Alto and Santa Bárbara, running across the island from east to west. Get to know Terceira island volcanoes and vulcanic landscape in its varied manifestations, such as caves, lava tubes, volcanic cones and peaks, and you can even walk inside a (dormant) volcano!
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BEST TERCEIRA ISLAND VOLCANOES
Below we present our list of the best places to visit while explorin Terceira island volcanoes.
1. Gaze upon Monte Brasil Peninsula
Monte Brasil is a collapsed cone of an ancient extinct volcano on the island of Terceira, originating in the sea, a eruption believed to have happened more than 20,000 years ago, making it one of the most recent Terceira island vulcanoes, on an island whose greatest volcanic activity dates back hundreds of thousands and even millions of years. This Terceira island vulcano was the result of the accumulation of ash due to the direct fall of material released by its eruption, during which Terceira Island gained approximately 500 meters in length and 500 meters in width (in a process similar o what happened in Faial island on 1957-58. It has four peaks, and its vegetation cover was classified as a Recreational Forest Reserve. Monte Brasil forms two bays in Angra do Heroísmo, Angra Bay, to the East, which gave the city its name, and Fanal Bay, to the West. You can even explore Monte Brasil on foot, for example by following the “Monte Brasil – Terceira” trail. You can download here the leaflet for this trail.
2. Walk through the caldera of the oldest of Terceira island volcanoes
With an average diameter of 7 km, the Cinco Picos (Five Peaks) caldera is the largest in the Azores and one of the Terceira islands volcanoes not to be missed. Inside, there are five secondary volcanic cones (hence its name). This Terceira island vulcanic caldera appears to have been formed by collapse associated with a period of intense explosive activity, but also by tectonic processes, associated with a rifting process. The volcanic activity occurred around 3.5 million years ago, being associated with the emergence of the primitive structure of the island, and making it the oldest of Terceira island volcanoes. The fertile land in its interior has long led the population to turn it into agricultural fields, separated by walls of volcanic stone and hydrangeas, which gives it the appearance of a patchwork green blanket.
3. Climb one of Terceira island volcanoes on Pico de Joana
Pico da Joana is one of the secondary cones in the Cinco Picos caldera and is absolutely spectacular, with an imposing appearance and verdant landscape that are even more impressive viewed from the air. Gaze upon of the most beautiful Terceira island volcanoes in a relatively easy climb.
4. Ride to the top of the Santa Bárbara, the highest of Terceira island volcanoes
The paved road goes to the top of Serra de Santa Bárbara (Saint Barbara mountain range), the highest of Terceira island volcanoes, but you need to check the weather to know the best time to get to the summit! If you manage to be up there with a clear sky, you will have a view of the gods, overlooking one of the wildest and most untouched areas of the island. This Terceira island volcano has two approximately concentric calderas. The external caldera has a diameter of 2.5 by 2 km and is the result of a collapse phenomenon that occurred between 30,000 and 25,000 years ago. The formation of the most recent internal caldera took place less than 10,000 years ago. Subsequently, this caldera was the scene of several eruptions that caused its partial filling. One of the most spectacular landscapes of Terceira island volcanoes.
5. Visit the Serra de Santa Bárbara Interpretation Center
When you climb to the summit of Serra de Santa Bárbara, don’t miss the views of the coast and sea as you climb and don’t forget to visit the Serra de Santa Bárbara Interpretation Center to better understand Terceira island volcanoes, where you can see a very interesting exhibition about the geomorphology of Terceira island.
6. Visit Gruta do Natal on Terceira Island
The Gruta do Natal (Christmas Grotto) is a lava tube, resulting from the passage of lava that solidified, and may have originated in an eruption of Pico do Gaspar, one of Terceira island volcanoes, around 10,000 years ago. Its name is due to the tradition of celebrating Christmas mass there, since 1969 until today. It has a labyrinthine structure, and you can take a route inside (since 1998) and admire lava stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the floor in the form of aa and pahoehoe lavas. Next to the entrance, there is an Interpretation Center, with a photographic exhibition. You can find more information here.
7. Take the Mistérios Negros walking trail through Terceira island volcanoes
The Mistérios Negros (Black Mysteries) trail, with a length of 4.9 km (2 and a half hours long) and a high degree of difficulty, is a great way to explore Terceira island volcanoes, and travel through a wild area of Terceira island, in the nature reserve of Serra de Santa Bárbara and Mistérios Negros in the Terceira Natural Park. This circular route begins next to Lagoa do Negro and the Gruta do Natal. You can download here the leaflet for this trail.
8. Visit the most active area of Terceira island volcanoes at Furnas do Enxofre
Furnas do Enxofre (Sulphur Pit) is one of the manifestations of the still active Terceira island volcanoes. This is the most active volcanic area on the island, being a field of fumaroles with continuous emission of sulfuric gases and carbon dioxide, in some places at high temperatures. The rocks themselves are the target of chemical attack from gases, altering their constitution, resulting in the deposition of minerals. It is a very humid area, with high precipitation, and therefore cloudiness is frequent.
9. Descend into one of Terceira island volcanoes at Algar do Carvão
Algar do Carvão (Coal Cave) is one of the main attractions on the island, as you walk down into one of Terceira island volcanoes. It is a spectacular volcanic chimney, around 100 m deep, which can be accessed through a tunnel and stairs, built in the 60s.
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Algar do Carvão was formed around 2,000 years ago, and is what remains of the chimney through which the magma forced its way out in an eruption, creating vaults and interior chambers, retreating at the end into the magma chamber and leaving what can be observed today. Particularly impressive are the silica stalactites and the enamelled black lavas that cover the walls and ceilings, and the small lagoon at the bottom of the cavity, whose level fluctuates according to the season and which, at present, cannot be accessed.
10. Be enchanted by the Guilherme Moniz Caldera
The Guilherme Moniz Caldera is a subsidence caldera, corresponding to the central area of one of the largest of Terceira island volcanoes, assuming its present configuration around 23,000 years ago, following explosive eruptions that gave rise to Pico Alto. Only the southern edge of the caldera is preserved, but it is impressive, with its cliffs being very steep and irregular, with an average height of around 170 m above the bottom of the caldera.
11. Contemplate a remnant of Terceira island volcanoes at the Ilhéus das Cabras
In front of Fajã do Fischer, you will find the Ilhéus das Cabras (Goat Islets), two islets approximately 1 km from the coast, which constitute the remains of one of Terceira island volcanoes, originating from a Surtseian eruption (i.e. of the type of the Capelinhos Volcano, on the island of Faial, as well as of Monte Brasil, on the island of Terceira). Although already largely dismantled by marine erosion and tectonic action, they are the largest islets on the island of Terceira and the Azores archipelago and are a Special Protection Zone, but curiously, they are still privately owned today.
12. Enter the Gruta das Agulhas on Terceira island
Gruta das Agulhas (Needles Cave) is a lava tube located in Salga, approximately 200 m long. For those who enjoy exploring the volcanic landscape of Terceira island volcanoes, this is a place not to be missed. The entrance is via the coastal cliff.
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