La Gomera is a beautiful island that has not had volcanic activity in the last 2 million years. This prolonged inactivity has caused an important process of erosion, which has shaped the island, with deep gullies and giving La Gomera an aspect somewhat less volcanic than the rest of the Canary Islands.
In this post we offer you some questions and answers about the formation and the geological aspect of La Gomera.
When did the formation of the Canary archipelago and La Gomera begin?
It started nothing more and nothing less, about 40 million years ago, when the base of the islands was built on the seabed, the so-called Basal Complex.
How was the Gomera formed?
Both La Gomera and the rest of the Canary Islands arose as a result of volcanic eruptions underwater. After emerging to the surface and for thousands of years, new volcanoes and their castings were superposed, gaining in surface and height.
Are all islands the same age?
No, they are the result of different volcanic eruptions, forming by stages or relatively short eruptive cycles, separated by long periods of volcanic inactivity in which erosion acted after the emergence of the insular building. The formation of the archipelago developed from the east to the west. Thus, it has been proven that the oldest island is Fuerteventura, and the youngest, El Hierro.
How old are the youngest rocks in La Gomera?
They are 2 million years old and are located in the Caldera Natural Monument, in the municipality of Alajeró. This Natural Monument, 39 hectares, houses the only recognizable volcanic cone of the island, with a height of 135 meters.
What materials make up the basal complex?
It is composed of underwater materials, a mixture of rocks formed by the slow cooling of the "magma", submarine lavas, dikes and sedimentary remains.
Did you know that La Gomera is along with La Palma and Fuerteventura, one of the islands where the basal complexes are in sight?
In La Gomera can be observed in the Caldera of Vallehermoso, Fuerteventura in the massif of Betancuria, and La Palma in the caldera of Taburiente.
We invite you to visit the interesting geological corners of La Gomera as the natural monument of Los Órganos.