Talk:Teide

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Would whoever keeps deleting the notice about collecting fauna, flora geological specimens please note: It is CLEARLY stated in the information issued by the authorities, on notice boards etc., that it is illegal to collect fauna, flora or geological specimens without a permit. It is enforced by the National Park Police. People have been fined large amounts - hundred of euros per kilogram or part of., In 2002 6 German tourists were caught taking plants and rocks. They argued that since the information boards were in Spanish they could not understand them and were therefore excused! The courts didn't agree. 15 kg of rocks, several plants were confiscated, they were each fined 6,000 euros, spent 4 days in prison and were taken under armed escort and in handcuffs to the next available flight back to Germany. The aircraft had in effect departed the stand and in front of the tourists at Reina Sofia Airport, the aircraft door was opened, steps placed and then one by one the people were escorted still handcuffed on to the aircraft and to their seat. Then their handcuffs were removed. At that point they were then handed back their passport and it was clearly and legibly stamped in German and Spanish "Not permitted to enter the kingdom of Spain or Canary Islands - Persona no grata." Remove the information again and I'll have the page locked. The Geologist (talk) 18:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Eruption

if this erupts willl it effect every one in the world or will it only effect tenerife The Sunday Times reported in January that there would definitely be an eruption of Teide by the end of 2005.

Has there been any activity recently to confirm this prediction?

Don't believe what you read in newspapers!! - MPF 14:03, 11 December 2005 (UTC)
January 2006 now, and no, it didn't erupt in 2005 . . . MPF 01:44, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah the media got it so right again didn't they - can some one remind me of the date? Ah Yes it is 14th March 2008 and the eruption was where, when??? The Geologist (talk) 12:29, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, and it won't for a long time. Yes, "El Teíde" is only dormant, but the peak itself has not errupted for thousands of years. The last acticity in the "Caňadas" was in 1909, but that was only a small peak "downhill" (as is said in the text already). Tje last eruption of a volcano on Tenerife which claimed lives was in 1706. A small peak on the northern ridge erupted and burried the merchants village of Garachico, which has never recovered its importance in the intercontinental trades.

The above contains a lot of errors: Teide is dormant - not extinct as some tour operators and property developers claim. El Chinyero erupted about 1 km2 of lava in 1909. The eruption of 1706 is not recorded as claiming any lives - people had ample time to avoid the flows. It destroyed several towns and villages, including Garachico which was the Principle or MAIN port of Tenerife. Due to the damage inflicted the port declined and the trade transferred to Santa Cruz de Tenerife which is now the principle deep water port of Tenerife. The Geologist (talk) 12:29, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

There was a spate of seismic activity from April 2004 to early 2005 caused by injection of magma below Teide's NW flank. Many expected it to erupt, but obviously it didn't. There is, however, a significant body of molten magma below the volcano. OrbitalPete 12:49, 25 January 2007 (GMT).

What evidence do you have that magma was injected? Certainly the seismic crisis would seem to indicate that magma rose, but to be dogmatic as you are being, that magma was injected without supporting evidence is mischief making. The Geologist (talk) 12:29, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

At the upper cable station on Teide, about 200 m from the summit, there are information boards pointing out lava flows from the 14th Century. See also http://www.islandvulnerability.org/canarias.html which lists more recent eruptions. Booshank 02:20, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

Volcanoes DO NOT erupt to timetables. I have been asked by people who one assumes are intelligent, what time, what day etc., will Teide erupt! Statistically an eruption is overdue, geologically and volcanologically it will happen where it happens when it happens and there is nothing you, or I and my colleagues can do to stop it. (I am a Geologist / Volcanologist) who was born and lives on Tenerife) The Geologist (talk) 12:29, 14 March 2008 (UTC)


Personally I think that Teide is going to erupt in the next 100-200 years and that people should not take lightly the power the mountain contains. If there are any disturbing signs a.k.a a rock bulge like what was seen at Mount St Helens then no tourists should be allowed near the volcano. I also think that a couple of hundered years of being dormant could lead to a VEI 5 or 6 Eruption.

Personally I would be surprised if an eruption did not happen within the next 100 to 200 years. Which is a very wide margin of error. Historical eruptions on Tenerife have occurred in 1492, 1704, 1705, 1706 (which would suggest that there would be an eruption in 1707, but the next eruption occurred in) 1798. This was followed by 109 years of dormancy or quiescence. However since 2003 there has been an ongoing seismic crisis involving low magnitude seismic activity which may be indicative of magma rising, but and this is the big question: Will it lead to an eruption and if so where and when? The Geologist (talk) 12:36, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Teide is the subject of a song by Mike Oldfield on his 1982 album Five Miles Out. Which is a load of basura! The Geologist (talk) 12:36, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I have heard that this mountain casts the longest shadow in the world. Worthy of adding to the article? Gemfyre 03:53, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

No it doesn't cast the longest shadow in the world. Some would claim with justification that Mount Everest does. Certainly Kilimanjaro in Africa, casts a longer dawn and dusk shadow as proved by photographs taken from the ISS. The Geologist (talk) 12:29, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Restructuring/Copy-editing

This article seems to be mostly inactive at the moment, so I've decided to Be Bold and restructure this article (slightly) before posting here.

This will be the first of a number of small edits I'm planning over the next few weeks, which i'm trying to split up, and do section by section, so everyone can see very clearly what I've done and change what they don't like.

So, first off, I've moved some of the sections around, so the article is more coherent, and changed a few of the section names. I HAVE NOT DELETED any information, I've simply reworded the original text so it reads and looks a little better.

I'll go through the other sections in a similar manner if noone has any objections to the way I'm doing this. After that I'll add any new content I can think of. As a geologist I might need help on the flora/fauna, tourism, and anything else not directly related to rocks, so contributions/suggestions would be very welcome!

Cheers, Fossiliferous 15:38, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Okay, finally stuck in the first of new geology sections. The formation of the volcano. This is still a bit rough, and needs some work. Since it mostly talks about the development of the island itself it might even seem a bit irrelevant, but it's the only way to explain how Teide formed and I think it is very important to note that this 'decade' volcano is only a pimple on the nose of the greater Tenerife volcanoes.

Fossiliferous 22:37, 10 October 2007 (UTC)


If I can help contact me - my details are where you and I are registered. I also think that we need to consider how to permanently protect pages like this from the idiots who seem to delight in vadalising them. The Geologist (talk) 13:31, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Pico Del Teide (The Peak of Tenerife) is the modern French name attributed to the volcano"

French name??? I don't know if "Teide" is a name of French origin (wich I doubt), but obviously "Pico del Teide" is the SPANISH name of the vulcano... Canary Islands belong to Spain, not to France! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.33.205.19 (talk) 01:00, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing that out, of course it is Spanish, the change to French was an old bit of vandalism that had gone unnoticed. It was originally Spanish but changed by 82.112.135.41 on 22 November 2007.Fossiliferous (talk) 10:36, 31 January 2008 (UTC)


Pico del Teide is a Spanish word derived from the Guanche language. The Gunaches believed that El Teide held the sky up! Hence Pico del Teide means the "Peak that holds the sky up!" As for the French - well there is an expression in English "Dream on," in other words el islas Canaria es España si, que Francois non and never will be. The Geologist (talk) 12:52, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Teide (pronounced "Tay-dee")"

That's totally wrong. "Tay-dee" would be correct if the name was "Teidi". The "de" on "Teide" sounds like the "de" in "de Niro", for instance. Please someone correct this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.33.205.19 (talk) 01:02, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Ah señor so you know better than us Tenerifians! The word Teide rhymes with el Ingleesh word LADY so it is pronounced "TAY-DAY". Comprende. Also the name of the volcan is Pico del Teide and Teide is a Spanish word of possible Guanche origin. The Guanches considered that Teide held the sky up! So to interpret the name it means the "Peak that holds the sky up!" The other name used is El Teide which means "The Skyholder!" May I also suggest that you go and undertake a course in Linguistics and Spanish.

I happen to live and work as a geologist and volcanologist on Tenerife. I am Spanish and went to school in England plus university in Madrid. So as I live and work on the island where I was born I consider that I do know what I am talking about! The Geologist (talk) 12:50, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Facts!

if there is an eruption then the lava and debry will go into the sea and form a tidle wave or a tsunami it may hit some of the other canaries but will keep going until it hits a coast and it will hit america and all of the city's near the coats eg. Boston, New York... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.149.78.75 (talk) 21:02, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

An eruption on Tenerife may produce lava which enters the ocean. However out of the last 6 eruptions only one generated sufficient lavas that reached the ocean and that was the 1706 eruption. The 1492 eruption may have reached the ocean but that is not recorded. If, as I believe you claim by your term "tidle" wave (sic), the lava will form a TSUNAMI (which is NOT a tidal wave) when or if it enters the Atlantic Ocean, then boy are you in for a BIG surprise. Put simply it won't do anything of the sort. If you doubt that have a look at what is currently happening at Kilauea - lava regularly enters the Pacific Ocean, yet I do not recall being advised that a tsunami was heading out from Hawai'i. In other words your "science" is without foundation. The Geologist (talk) 12:44, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Misinformation on Teide

has anyone been to the peak of teide and read the rediculous board which explains the topography of teide as being formed by a tsunami? As a geography student I knew immediately it didn't make sense but loads of tourists just read and believe. Something should be added to explain that this is not true. MGtheHB (talk) 22:13, 7 June 2008 (UTC)