This stunning 400m (1,300 ft) deep caldera crowns the summit of Vulcão da Caldeira, a massive stratovolcano at the heart of Faial Island, Azores. Geologists estimate that volcanic activity began here around 410,000 years ago, with a history shaped by both effusive lava flows and explosive eruptions. About 1,000 years ago, a major volcanic explosion reduced the volcano’s height by 300m (980 ft), and formed the present-day caldera.
The caldera spans 2 km in diameter, with its highest point, Cabeço Gordo (1,043m / 3,432 ft), just beyond the left side of the image. On the left, the Rocha do Altar, a rhyolitic dome, forms a steep cliff. In the photo’s center, an intra-caldera scoria cone marks one of the volcano’s more recent eruptions.
Today, this extraordinary landscape is protected as a Natural Reserve, a Geosite within the UNESCO Azores Geopark, and part of the UNESCO Global Geopark, preserving its unique geological and ecological significance.
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Looking at Romania from Serbia
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Another photo of a grand old cypress tree growing along the Guadalupe River.
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Fall hike along the Guadalupe River
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