Teide
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| Teide | |
|---|---|
 Pico de Teide from Cañada de los Guancheros at 2050 m at the northeast edge of the caldera. The yellowish foreground is pumice gravel, with Retama del Teide shrubs. Cloud blowing in on the northeast trade wind is normal between about 1000–2000 m altitude; here, the very top of the cloud evaporates rapidly as it enters the warm, dry, sun-heated caldera. Note also the thawing winter snow cover on the upper slopes. Photo early April. |
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| Elevation | 3,717 metres (12,195 feet) |
| Location | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain |
| Prominence | 3,717 m Ranked 40th |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 1989 |
| First ascent | 1582 by Sir Edmund Scory |
| Easiest route | scramble |
Teide (Mount Teide or Pico del Teide) is a volcano and mountain on Tenerife, Canary Islands (28.27 N, 16.6 W). At 3717 m above sea level and approximately 7000 m above the adjacent sea bed, it is the highest mountain in Spain, the highest mountain in any Atlantic island, and the third largest volcano on Earth. Due to its eruptive history and location close to population centres, the volcano has been designated a Decade Volcano worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters. It is currently dormant, having last erupted in 1909 from the subsidiary vent of Chinyero on the west slope of Teide. Other significant eruptions occurred in 1704–1706 and 1798. The summit has a number of small active fumaroles emitting hot sulfur dioxide and other gases. Further eruptions are considered likely in the future, including a risk of highly dangerous pyroclastic flows similar to those on Mount Pelée and Mount Vesuvius. Teide is a modern name given by the Spanish, the name given to the volcano was Echeyde by the native Guanches, prior to the Spanish colonization. Echeyde, in the Guanches legends, meant some sort of powerful figure leaving the volcano that could turn into hell.
In prehistoric times, about 150,000 years ago, a much larger explosive eruption occurred, probably of Volcanic Explosivity Index 7, creating Las Cañadas, a large caldera at just over 2000 m altitude, 15 km across east-west and 10 km north-south. On the south side, the internal crater walls rise as almost sheer cliffs from 2100 m to 2715 m at Guajara. The 3717 m summit of Teide itself, and its subsidiary vent Pico Viejo (3134 m), both in the northern half of the caldera, derive from eruptions subsequent to this prehistoric explosion.
The volcano and its surrounds, including the whole of the caldera, are protected in a national park, the Parque Nacional del Teide. Access is by a public road running across the caldera from northeast to southwest; a parador (hotel) is also within the National Park. A cable car (Teleférico Teide) goes from the roadside at 2356 m most of the way to the summit, reaching 3555 m. Access to the summit itself is restricted; a permit (obtainable from the Park office in Santa Cruz) is required to climb the last 200 m.
Teide is also noted for a large number of endemic plants, including Cytisus supranubius (Retama del Teide, a species of broom), Echium wildpretii (Tajinaste rojo, a spectacular species of bugloss reaching 3 m tall), and Erysimum scoparium, a species of wallflower. Lower down, the middle slopes from 1000–2000 m are clothed with forests of Pinus canariensis (Pino Canario or Canary Island Pine).
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