Land of contrasts
At the very end of Europe, the Azores are cradled in the tumult of the Atlantic. Of volcanic origin, these 9 islands offer a singular character and magnificent landscapes. Everywhere the blue of the ocean and the hydrangeas, the white of the foam and the facades and the shades of green of the meadows. A haven of peace, bucolic and ecological. A mixture of peaceful plains, lunar panoramas, misty volcanoes, abyssal ravines, lakes and waterfalls. It is the location of the archipelago on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that explains this diversity of scenery and its volcanic character. Close to the junction of three tectonic zones: the North American plate, the Eurasian plate and the African plate, lava flows, slag cones, caldera, peaks reaching over 1,000 metres characterise the Azores. The landscapes are spectacular, from the Sete Cidades caldera to the 2,351 m of Mount Pico, Portugal's highest peak, not forgetting the jagged basalt coasts and majestic lakes at the foot of the fabulously coloured volcanoes.
A little history..
Macaronesia refers to Greek mythology and means "fortunate islands" or "island of the blessed". The term was used by Greek geographers to refer to mythical islands where the Sojourn of the Dead was located beyond the Columns of Hercules, which is likened to the Strait of Gibraltar. Macaronesia originated from a volcanic dynamic known as the Hotspot (according to German geologists from the University of Kiel). At the heart of the history of the Iberian Peninsula, this oceanic and insular region, a hinge between Europe and Africa, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, has been a field of research that has excited geographers for centuries. The mixture of botanical elements, the frequency of earthquakes... these elements fascinate. The islands of the Azores, located further west and north have (except for Santa Maria, where the discovery of sedimentary layers accredits its formation during the Miocene) emerged accordingly after the Canary Islands, after Porto Santo, after Madeira, towards the middle Tertiary. All this dates back about 4 million years for São Miguel, 3.7 million for Terceira, 2.5 million for Graciosa, about 0.6 for São Jorge and Faial, and little more than 270,000 years for Pico, the youngest.
Explosive islands
With the exception of the western group, seismicity has always been high, especially on Pico and Faial. In fact, these islands are located in the delicate T-shaped region mentioned above, where three tectonic zones meet: the North American plate (Flores and Corvo, whose relief indicates a north-south orientation), the Eurasian plate (Graciosa, São Jorge, Terceira and São Miguel) and the African plate (Faial, Pico, Santa Maria and Formigas). As a result, the two western islands, drawn towards the west, are separating from the rest of the archipelago at a rate of around 2.50 cm per year.
The example of São Miguel provides a better understanding of the archipelago's spectacular geology; the island is made up of seven well-defined volcanic complexes, even if the figures are disputed by various specialists: Nordeste (basaltic), active between 4.2 and 1 million years ago; Povoação (basaltic then trachytic), between 3.2 million and 650,000 years ago; Sete Cidades (basaltic then trachytic), since 250,000 years ago; Fogo (idem), since 200,000 years ago, still evolving; Furnas (trachytic), active since around 200,000 years ago; and Dos Picos (basaltic), since around 50,000 years ago. In the past, Sete Cidades was separated from the rest of the island by a channel, but it was joined by an accumulation of basalt around 50,000 years ago.
Two types of volcanic activity
The first one, of explosive type, formed the calderas, as in Faial for example or in São Miguel; the volcano actually collapsed on itself, forming a flared crater where some apparently peaceful lakes often rest today. The calderas are made up of trachytic, apart from Corvo, basaltic, and Graciosa, trachytic but also composed of basaltic (effusive) episodes.
The second, effusive type, caused lava flows and formed the mistérios (mysteries), of which there are four on Pico (two in the south: Mistérios de São João and de Silveira, and two in the north : Mistérios de Santa Luzia and Prainha); the biscoitos (biscuits), jagged landscapes of black basalt that rise up from the sea (they usually have "natural" swimming pools); and the fajãs, 54 in number in São Jorge, relatively flat advances born of the collapse of the cliffs. These geographical conditions, apparently not very advantageous, and the cause of great catastrophes in the history of the archipelago, have nevertheless allowed humans to survive: the first inhabitants settled on the fajãs to grow coffee, bananas or potatoes, for example, thanks to a milder climate and less subject to violent winds. The volcanic soil is very fertile: in Pico, Graciosa or Terceira, coffee or wine, for example, could be cultivated. Above all, the abundance of basalt has encouraged the emergence of a very specific architecture, both religious and civil, even in the adegas, the traditional stone cellars that can be seen to the north of Pico.An ultraperipheral region
The Azores are one of the outermost regions (ORs) of the European Union. Because they are remote from the European continent, these areas enjoy a special status. They were mentioned as early as 1992 in the Treaty of Maastricht, but it was in 2009 that they were actually defined in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The outermost regions face a number of difficulties due to their geographical characteristics. For example, their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate make them special. These elements limit the potential for their development. For example, the status of OR allows the Azores to enjoy certain advantages as regards intra-Community VAT, to receive State aid for development, etc
