Monthly Archives: November 2021

16.35 News from the Russian transfer market. Vyacheslav Krotov became a player “Ufa” for 500 thousand euros. Spartak will have a chance to exercise the right to buy the player back for 1 million euros, but this clause of the contract will only be valid during the next two transfer windows.

16.30 Hernanes moves to Juventus ! Apparently, the Turin club is too frightened by the performance of their midfield in the first two matches of Serie A. The price for such a player is not the highest – 11 million euros. 1/5 Martial. Moreover, there are persistent rumors that the key Lazio player is Lucas Biglia Turin offered 25 million euros and Sturaro to boot! There is something to think about.

16.25 Ryazantsev still does not transfer to Dynamo. “The information that appeared in the media about the transfer of Alexander Ryazantsev is not true. There will be no player in the club,” the Muscovites’ press service said. Well, let’s see how true these words will be at the end of the transfer window.

16.15 Meantime Schalke reinforces the center of the field – Pierre-Emil Høibjerg , who has already managed to grab number 23, is sent from Bayern to Gelsenkirchen on a one-year loan. The guy was out of luck with a competitor in the form of Vidal, but playing for one of the top clubs in Germany should give him confidence.

16.10 Boom! Look who’s coming back to Italy! Gianluca Di Marzio announces an agreement between Galatasaray and Inter for the Italians to buy Felipe Melo – 3.5 million euros are at stake, plus tasty bonuses for the Turkish side.

So, the evening period of transfer madness begins. Can German clubs complete their deals in four hours? How much exactly will be paid for Martial? Vladimir Harets will follow these and other pressing issues with you!

16. 03 Some interesting statistics about one of the most influential people in the history of football: the amount of transfers carried out with direct participation Jorge Mendes has already exceeded 1.6 billion euros!

15.45 Rubin striker Marco Livaia returned to Serie A: until the end of the season, the 22-year-old Croatian loaned to Empoli . In the Kazan club, Livaya failed to prove himself on the positive side, but was exiled to the double because of a conflict with Bilyaletdinov.

15.35 Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard will join West Brom . The Blackbirds have already spent more than €40m this summer signing defenders Evans and Chester and strikers Lambert and Rondon. The ex-forward of “Zenith” became the most expensive acquisition of the club – 17 million euros.

15.30 The amount that Manchester United will pay for Martial has been revealed – 50 million euros, excluding bonuses.

15.10 West Ham continue to buzz in the transfer market: following the signings of Payet, Ogbonna and Obiang, the London club intend to loan Barcelona midfielder Alex Song and Chelsea winger Victor Moses .

14.56 AC Milan Youngster Hashim Mastour flew to Malaga to sign a contract with the club of the same name. The 17-year-old midfielder will play a season in the Andalusian team on loan, after which he can be bought for 5 million euros. Mastur played for the youth teams of Italy, but then patriotic feelings surged in him, and he made a choice in favor of Morocco.

14.50 Another piece of news from Russia: striker Aleksey Sapogov (free agent) is training with Amkar . By the way, today the ban on registration of new players was lifted from the Permian club. There is still time to close the deal. If someone has forgotten who Sapogov is, then here:

Click here for a transcript of the Megatsunami Scenario – La Palma Landslide video.

Man narrating: A slide from this mountain could kill millions of people in Europe and along America’s eastern seaboard. Some eminent scientists warn that it’s purely a matter of time till it happens. This is the volcanic island of La Palma 700 miles off the northwest coast of Africa. It’s a newborn baby island, barely past its 4 millionth birthday, created in the last stage of what geologists call the rock cycle. Volcanoes can form land in various ways. In Hawaii lava gently pours from vents in the ground to build up almost horizontal layers of new rock. But elsewhere, as here on La Palma, more violent eruptions build steep-sided cones with surrounding layers of thick ash.

Eruptions in the past 60 years have jolted this island to the core, creating a fault line – a crack you can walk through – along the island central spine 6,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. On the western side of the fault, the land fell 13 feet down then stopped. Geologists Bill McGuire and other scientists say gas pressures could build up in a future eruption and crack open the island along this fault line. They have traced the fault for at least nine miles along the island ridge. And they believe the fault is so long that when it cracks open five hundred billion tons of rock will slide thousands of feet down into the ocean.

Prof. Bill McGuire, University College London: So it’s going to go during a future eruption, there’s no doubt about that. The problem is eruptions occur sometimes every 20 years, sometimes every 200 years.

Narrator: McGuire paints a terrifying fantasy picture of what anyone standing on the top of the landslide would see and hear.

Prof. Bill McGuire: I don’t know if anybody’s heard the noise made by this amount of rocks sliding against another great chunk of rock, but I always imagined it as if there are a million fingers scraping down a blackboard.

Narrator: The slide will reach a speed of more than 220 miles per hour

Prof. Bill McGuire: So you’d be hurtling down the slope of the volcano. It would start to break up into smaller pieces as it entered the ocean but by then it would already have displaced something like half a mile of water, which would be towering above your head. And that would be probably the last thing you’d ever see. Spectacular way to die.

Narrator: McGuire believes the impact with the ocean will create a dome of water nearly 3,000 feet high.

Prof. Bill McGuire: This is a massive rock which is probably bigger than Manhattan Island and when it collapses it would generate oceanwide tsunami, which will be at least as devastating as those that struck the Indian Ocean.

Narrator: The vast amount of energy pumped into the ocean will create what one scientist has called a megatsunami. Tsunami waves racing out in all directions. Computer predictions suggests they could even travel 4,000 miles toward the eastern seaboard of the United States, losing some but not all of their power along the way.

Prof. Bill McGuire: That wave will travel all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the east coast of North America, but the water itself won’t move all the way across, the individual particles in the world would transmit the energy to one another. We can demonstrate that quite nicely on a pool table here, where the energy from this first ball I’m going to hit is transmitted through all the others to the last one.

Narrator: Just as energy moves from ball to ball, so the landslide energy transfers from water particle to water particle across the ocean. As the landslide’s energy approaches the coast, it builds up into a massive wall of water. These deep reds and blues are computer predictions of waves 100 feet high and more.

Prof. Bill McGuire: The level of destruction is difficult to quantify, it is going to be enormous there’s no doubt about that. If people are still in the cities when the collapse occurs, you may be considering millions of casualties.

The hypothesis that Canary Island collapse generates megatsunami is not universally accepted. This skepticism arises from the fact that island collapse may not have been catastrophic, instead, occurring slowly in numerous discrete small events rather than a single giant collapse. Such a slow collapse would not generate a large tsunami. So what about the large Bahamian blocks? An alternative possibility is they were delivered there by a hurricane during a time 125,000 years ago when sea level was higher than it is today.

In summary, it does not appear that a devastating megatsunami generated in the Canary islands is imminent. There is potential for collapse of the volcanic flanks on the islands but these events will likely be less dramatic than once feared and with waves only devastating on a local scale.

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Investigating The Geology & Impacts of Recent Tsunamis ›

The origin of the Canary Island Seamount Province – New ages of old seamounts

The origin of the Canary Island Seamount Province – New ages of old seamounts

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• Open Access
• Published: 01 July 2013

• Paul van den Bogaard¹ 

Scientific Reports
volume 3, Article number: 2107 (2013)
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Subjects

• Geodynamics
• Geology
• Palaeoceanography
• Volcanology

Abstract

The Canary Island Seamount Province forms a scattered hotspot track on the Atlantic ocean floor ~1300 km long and ~350 km wide, perpendicular to lithospheric fractures and parallel to the NW African continental margin. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar datings show that seamount ages vary from 133 Ma to 0.2 Ma in the central archipelago and from 142 Ma to 91 Ma in the southwest. Combining ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages with plate tectonic reconstructions, I find that the temporal and spatial distribution of seamounts is irreconcilable with a deep fixed mantle plume origin, or derivation from passive mantle upwelling beneath a mid-ocean ridge. I conclude that shallow mantle upwelling beneath the Atlantic Ocean basin off the NW African continental lithosphere flanks produced recurrent melting anomalies and seamounts from the Late Jurassic to Recent, nominating the Canary Island Seamount Province as oldest hotspot track in the Atlantic Ocean and most long-lived preserved on earth.

Introduction

The Canary Island Seamount Province (CISP) comprises more than 100 seamounts, isolated volcanic structures on the seafloor ranging from small (<1000 m height) to mid-sized (>1000 m) and mid-sized explosive (<700 m water depth) to ocean islands¹. It represents the easiest hotspot track to find in the northern part of the African plate², but its location is difficult to explain and its origin is controversial^3,4,5,6. Primitive CISP basalts are derived from decompression melting of upwelling mantle that includes deep (HIMU-type), depleted (DMM-type) and enriched (EM-type) mantle components^7,8,9 and erupt after limited interaction with altered MORB crust and Cenozoic sediments¹⁰. Plausible models for the formation of scattered seamount chains like the CISP include (a) deep mantle upwelling through fixed mantle plumes⁵, (b) shallow passive mantle upwelling beneath mid-ocean ridges¹¹ and (c) shallow mantle convection from continental lithosphere flanks³.

Original fixed-plume models⁵ were based on the E-W alignment and apparent age progression of the Canary Islands from Lanzarote-Fuerteventura (15–23 Ma¹²) to El Hierro (<1.1 Ma¹³) (Fig. 1) and the assumptions that Canarian island-seamounts grow fast and that their subaerial ages were representative of the onset of magma generation and mantle upwelling at any given site. Later studies included northeastern seamounts and inferred a wider NE-SW-oriented fixed-plume track⁴ beginning near Essaouira Seamount (68 Ma) and ending around El Hierro and La Palma (<4 Ma¹⁴). Because the continental margin, palaeomagnetic anomalies and MORs and plate motion vector run roughly parallel, a NE-SW oriented seamount chain appears compatible with either model, but the age distribution and geotectonic setting are critical. Here we look at the ages of CISP seamounts from the central archipelago to the SW, analyzing rock samples that were dredged during RV Meteor cruise M43¹⁵. For the first time, seamount age data across the entire CISP are available for consideration and based on the spatial and temporal distribution, mantle convection models of origin can be evaluated. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses were carried out by single-crystal laser fusion and laser step-heating using irradiation monitor TCR (27.87 Ma¹⁶). I start with a summary of results, from northeast to southwest (2Sigma errors).

Figure 1

Topographic map of the NW African continental margin and age distribution in the Canary Island Seamount Province (CISP).

Numbers are the oldest ages determined for seamounts and islands in millions of years. Seamount ages from this study plus additional data for Henry²⁹, La Palma¹⁴, Fuerteventura^24,25,26, Amanay³⁴, Selvagen, Conception, Dacia, Rybin and Essaouira seamounts^4,8. Oldest subaerial island ages (white) for Lanzarote and Fuerteventura¹², Gran Canaria¹⁷, Tenerife¹⁰, La Gomera³⁵, La Palma¹⁸, El Hierro¹³ and Selvagen⁸. Map base from NOAA (ETOPO1)³⁶. Present plate motion vector from UNAVCO model (http://www.unavco.org).

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Results

Canary ridge

This seamount is part of the ridge connecting the seamount socles of Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura (Fig. 1) and yields a hornblende mean age of 17.8 ± 0.3 Ma and a matrix step-heating plateau age of 17.7 ± 0.2 Ma (Fig. 2). Note, this is ~3 m.y. older than the oldest subaerial “shield-stage” lavas of overlying Gran Canaria (~15 Ma¹⁷).

Figure 2

142 million years of Canarian seamount volcanism in ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectra.

Apparent ages from sequential single-crystal total fusions and step-heating analyses are plotted against cumulative ³⁹Ar fractions. Accepted analyses and plateau steps are black. Box heights are ±2σ. Inverse-variance weighted mean ages are statistically valid, as indicated by low Mean Square Weighted Deviates (MSWD) and sufficient Probabilities (>0. 05)^37,38. Mean age errors are 2σ and include uncertainties in J-values. Note breaks in age scale. See text and Supplementary Information S3 and S4 for more data and diagrams.

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El hijo

A 600 m high young seamount¹⁵ lies in the channel between Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Biotite phenocrysts of its trachyandesite lava samples 755-1 and 759-3 yield a weighted mean age of 0.24 ± 0.02 Ma (Fig. 2).

Palma ridge

This seamount is in the southern submarine flanks of La Palma. Biotites from phonolite lava 666-2 yield a mean age of 2.11 ± 0.03 Ma, younger than the uplifted seamount series of northern La Palma (≤4 Ma¹⁴) but older than the subaerial volcanics of the island (<1.7 Ma¹⁸). There is a Pliocene evolved seamount in the submarine structure of southern La Palma.

Hierro ridge

In the flanks of El Hierro, a seamount ridge extends ~30 km south. Its trachyte breccia sample 678-2 yields a mean K-feldspar age of 133. 3 ± 0.2 Ma, reproduced by a mean hornblende age of 133.8 ± 0.6 Ma. The submarine structure of El Hierro includes an Early Cretaceous seamount, overlain by later El Hierro volcanics at its northern flank.

Bisabuelas

A small group of seamounts located 70 Km southwest of El Hierro was named “Las Hijas” (The Daughters) and suspected to represent juvenile future Canary Islands¹⁹. Eight plagioclase single-crystal analyses of its trachyte sample 689-2 yield a mean age of 140.5 ± 0.7 Ma. Nine plagioclase crystals from trachyte sample 689-5 yield a mean age of 141.7 ± 0.4 Ma. This is probably the oldest seamount in the Atlantic Ocean. Whether its origin is Early Cretaceous or Late Jurassic depends on the age of the submerged seamount structure, which is likely a few million years older than 142 Ma and uncertainties of the Jurassic-Cretaceous chronostratigraphic boundary (e.g. 142 ± 2 Ma²⁰). Bisabuelas (Great-grandmothers) is suggested as an alternative provisional name for this seamount group.

The paps

This seamount group is located ~300 km southwest of El Hierro. K-feldspar microphenocrysts from trachyphonolitic pumice breccia 706-1 yield a step-heating age spectrum with disturbances in the low- and high-temperature regions, indicating partial alteration (Fig. 2). The plateau in-between comprises >52% of the ³⁹Ar released and yields a plateau age of 91.1 ± 0.2 Ma.

Tropic

Tropic seamount is at the southwestern edge of the CISP. Thirteen K-feldspar phenocrysts from basal sample 699-1 yield a mean age of 119.3 ± 0.3 Ma. Seven plagioclase crystals from topmost trachyte sample 693-2 yield a mean age of 115.6 ± 0.5 Ma. Twentythree anorthoclase phenocrysts from trachyte sample 692-3 yield a mean age of 116.3 ± 0.2 Ma, reproduced by 10 hornblende analyses (116.6 ± 0.5 Ma) and matrix step-heating yields a plateau age of 113.9 ± 0.2 Ma for basalt sample 692-1. All samples are from the southwestern slopes and all ages are significantly higher than plagioclase K-Ar ages from the northern slope (84 to 59 Ma²¹). Tropic Seamount erupted from 119 Ma to 114 Ma with possible late stage eruptions until ~60 Ma.

Discussion

Depending on the rate, duration and frequency of magma supply from melting anomalies and the age and depth of origin, Canary seamounts grow from the Late Jurassic to Recent ocean floor towards or beyond sea level. The bulk thickness of sediments covering the basaltic oceanic crust basement (~155 Ma old around palaeo–magnetic anomaly M25²²) is known from reflection seismics as at least 2,500–3,000 m, e.g. NE of Tenerife and SE of El Hierro²³. At ages up to 142 Ma, Canarian seamounts are partly burried in this sedimentary sequence. Consequently, many seamounts are much larger than meets the eye or remote sensors and subaerial, submarine and subsedimentary sections need to be considered to constrain seamount dimensions and to understand structural relationships. Two examples (Fig. 3):

Figure 3

Schematic cross section of selected seamount settings.

Thickness and depth of basaltic ocean crust (~155 Ma around anomaly M25²²) and bulk thickness and depth of sediments from reflection seismics^23,27. Sediment isochrons (155 to 0 Ma) schematically. To keep it simple, seamount subsidence due to lithosphere loading, magmatic plumbing systems and interlocking of seamount clastic aprons and sediment sequence are not considered in this sketch. Subaerial and submarine seamount heights are precise, subsedimentary seamount heights are minimum estimates, especially for Tenerife. See text for discussion.

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Bisabuleas seamount rises to 2850 m.b.s.l. above the seafloor, which levels at ~3850 m.b.s.l. in the vicinity. Considering that ~3,000 m of sediment were deposited on the sea floor and seamount flanks from 142 Ma to recent, Bisabuelas seamount must be at least 4,000 m tall and only a quarter is peeking out of the sediment.

El Hierro, the second example, rises to 1,500 m.a.s.l. from ~3,900 m. b.s.l. In addition, Hierro Ridge seamount reaches from 1500 m.b.s.l. down to at least 6,000 m.b.s.l., estimating ~2,500 m of sediment since the Early Cretaceous. Accepting Hierro Ridge as integral part of El Hierro’s seamount sub-structure, 2,500 m subsedimentary height add to the submarine-subaerial height of 5,400 m, transforming the youngest and smallest Canary Island into one of the oldest (>133 Ma) and tallest (>7,900 m) Canary Island seamounts.

The new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates provide evidence for both a much prolongued history of the CISP and of individual seamounts and for a composite structure and multi-stage origin of subaerially young and supposedly fast-grown¹³ islands. The riddle of Miocene to Pleistocene islands in the center of an essentially Cretaceous seamount field (Fig. 1) may have a simple answer: Only the subaerial island tips of these giant seamounts are young, their seamount roots can be Early Cretaceous or older. As yet, only a few seamount sub-structures were revealed, however, by falling sea levels (Selvagen: >29 Ma⁸), by tectonic uplift (Fuerteventura: >70 Ma^24,25,26) or by dredging (El Hierro: >133 Ma). The proof of widespread Late Jurassic to Mid Cretaceous seamount volcanism in the CISP has significant consequences for seismic and sedimentary facies models²⁷ and mantle convection models, which were based on an initiation of CISP volcanism and supply of volcanic sediments to basins in the Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene.

An age progression from the SW to the NE is conditio sine qua non for a fixed-plume origin of the CISP, given that the African plate moves to the NE^1,4,28. The new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages show that seamounts do not grow systematically older from the southwest (Tropic, 119 Ma) to the northeast (Essaouira, 68 Ma) (Fig. 1). Canarian seamounts are “old” in the southwestern, “old and young” in the central and “intermediate” in the northeastern province (Fig. 4). Even if the African plate had moved in reverse, this would not constitute an appropriate age progression. The temporal and spatial distribution of Canary seamounts is irreconcilable with single fixed-plume models.

Figure 4

No proper age progression in the CISP.

Oldest ages of seamounts (black) and islands (grey) versus distance from Tropic Seamount along a SW-NE transect. Dotted line indicates average vector of the African Plate during the past 100 m.y. Seamount distribution should be aligned parallel to this vector (youngest in the SW, oldest in the NE) if derived from a fixed plume. Naive linear regression attempts yield poor solutions for the seamount data set (dashed line, R² = 0.20) and data set including subaerial island data (solid line, R² = 0.13), indicating a scattered age distribution and lack of a significant and systematic age progression. A = Amanay Smt., EH = El Hierro, LP = La Palma, LG = La Gomera, T = Tenerife, GC = Gran Canaria, F = Fuerteventura, S = Selvagen, L = Lanzarote (for additional age data sources see Fig. 1).

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Shallow recycling of continental lithosphere into passively upwelling mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges can explain the origin of diffuse seamount chains in young ocean basins when seamount formation closely follows an MOR¹¹. Plate tectonic reconstructions show, however, that the Atlantic MOR veers away orthogonally from the CISP. When Bisabuelas erupted, the MOR was already ~200 km away and the seamount erupted on an ocean floor >10 m.y. older than the seamount (palaeomagnetic anomaly M25) (Fig. 5). Still during the Early Cretaceous, at least three more large seamounts erupted to the east and west (Hierro Ridge 133 Ma, Henry 126 Ma²⁹, Tropic 119 Ma). By the K-Pg boundary the latest, the CISP had reached its present dimensions with eruptions from The Paps (91 Ma), Fuerteventura (>70 Ma) and Essaouira (68 Ma), but the MOR had veered another 1,200 km to the NW (Fig. 5). An origin of the entire CISP from passive mantle upwelling beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge is also not reasonable.

Figure 5

Mantle upwelling and CISP follow the NW African continental margin.

(a–e), Plate tectonic reconstructions and setting of CISP seamounts at 142 Ma (a), 100 Ma (b), 66 Ma (c, K-Pg boundary), 34 Ma (d) and Present (e). Maps created by the author with ODSN Advanced Plate Tectonic Reconstructions (http://www.odsn.de) The reconstructions show that the CISP started to form near palaeomagnetic anomaly M25 no later that 142 m.y. ago, when the North American and African continents were only 900 km apart (a). With the African Plate (continent plus new ocean crust) drifting primarily eastward, the MOR veering away to the NW and the North Central Atlantic opening up, more seamounts erupted at equal distance from the rifted NW African continental margin, scattered along palaeomagnetic anomaly M25 (b–c). At the latest from the K-Pg boundary (c) the outlines of the CISP have not changed significantly. Later seamounts fill up the space between Tropic and Essaouira (d). Figure (e) shows the present spatial distribution of all large seamounts in the CISP, including islands and unnamed and undated ones (see Fig. 1 for details). Future studies will show how many of these are actually much older and should really be plotted in (a–d). The coordinates of Bisabuelas Seamount, as projected from (a–d) onto (e), illustrate the path taken by the African plate (central CISP range) from 142 Ma to Present. This is what a hotspot track should look like, if a deep fixed-plume mantle upwelling had ever existed beneath the central CISP at 142 Ma or later. Instead, mantle upwelling and CISP follow the African plate on its 3000 km journey to the E-NE, indicating that mantle convection is causally related and physically connected to the moving plate, its continental lithospheric roots respectively.

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Of the three competing mantle convection models^1,3,11, only shallow mantle convection at the rifted continental lithosphere flanks can explain the alignment, age distribution, plate tectonic setting and long history of individual centers of the CISP and agrees with the observed mix^7,8,9,10 of geochemical mantle components. Breakup of the Pangaean continent exposed >250 km thick cratonic lithosphere to hot asthenospheric mantle and caused mantle upwelling (edge-driven convection)³ beneath the juvenile ocean crust (MORB) and recycling of subcontinental lithosphere (EM-type mantle). Seamount formation started less than 40 m.y. after the earliest rifting in the North Central Atlantic (~184 Ma²⁵), when ocean crust formation was barely advanced (i.e. the process producing depleted DMM-type mantle) and HIMU-type mantle components were ambiant to dominant in the asthenosphere beneath the young Atlantic ocean basin and lithosphere.

While the origin of the entire CISP from shallow plate-bound mantle convection off the rifted NW African continental margin is fully compatible with the geochemical composition, spread and age of seamounts and plate tectonic reconstructions, the present data set does not rule out the possibility of more complex scenarios such as alternating mantle plume and plate-related convection analogue to the Samoan hotspot system³⁰, or multiple, successive, mantle plumes similar to “hot spot highways” in the Pacific³¹. Even hybrid models combining early passive mantle upwelling near the MOR in the Late Jurassic with shallow edge-driven convection throughout the Cretaceous and the appearance of a single deep-fixed plume in the Early Paleogene are imaginable. Prerequisites, however, to explain the origin of the CISP and the temporal and spatial distribution of its seamounts, these scenarios are not.

The conditions of formation of CISP-type seamount chains (shallow source, juvenile astenosphere, slow plate, low production rate³², recurrent mantle upwelling and melting anomalies beneath the same plate segment) are fundamentally different from fixed-plume prototypes like the Hawaii-Emperor chain (deep source, mature astenosphere, high production rate, fast plate, rapid decoupling of melting anomalies from upwelling source)³³, yet seamount dimensions are comparable. I conclude that plate-bound shallow mantle convection is an important mechanism of seamount formation in young ocean basins bordered by rifted continental margins and is capable of sustaining extremely long-lived hotspot tracks, for at least 142 m.y. in case of the Canary Island Seamount Province.

Methods

16 mineral and matrix separates from 12 dredged rock samples from RV Meteor cruise M43 were analyzed by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser step-heating and single-crystal fusion. Crystals (plagioclase, K-feldspar, hornblende, biotite) and matrix particles were hand-picked from crushed and sieved rock splits (250–500 μm). To remove alteration surfaces and adhering matrix material, feldspar separates were etched in 15% hydrofluoric acid for 5 minutes. All samples were washed and cleaned using an ultrasonic disintegrator. Separates were irradiated in aluminum trays and cans lined by cadmium foil at the 5-MW reactor of the GKSS Research Center (Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht, Germany). The neutron flux was monitored using Taylor Creek Rhyolite Sanidine (27.87 ± 0.04 Ma¹⁶). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser analyses were carried out at the GEOMAR Geochronology Lab using a 20 W SpectraPhysics Argon-Ion laser and an MAP 216 series noble gas mass spectrometer. Ar Isotope ratios from mass spectrometry were corrected for mass discrimination, background and blank values, J-value gradients and interfering neutron reactions on Ca and K.

The step-heating and single-crystal data are evaluated in age spectra (apparent age and error vs. cumulative ³⁹Ar in order of analysis) trying to detect plateaus (>3 consecutive steps comprising >50% of the ³⁹Ar released, with ages overlapping within 2Sigma errors) and single-crystal populations with ages overlapping within 2Sigma errors. Plateau ages represent the inverse-variance weighted mean of the plateau step ages and errors. Statistical validity of mean ages are tested by calculating the MSWD (mean square weighted deviates) and POF (probability of fit; should be >0.05 at 2Sigma/95% confidence levels)³⁷. Because marine rock samples are generally variably altered, the degree of alteration is monitored via alteration indices based on the measured ³⁶Ar/³⁷Ar ratios (plagioclase, hornblende, matrix) or measured ³⁶Ar/³⁹Ar ratios (K-feldspar, Biotite) following established methods³⁸. Low-temperature heating steps generally yield 10 to 100 times higher alteration indices, but are not included in the plateau age calculations. Few crystals that yield deviating apparent ages and alteration indices are also excluded from the single-crystal mean age calculations. Results are summarized in Supplement Table S2. Full analytical data are given in Supplement Table S3. Isotope correlation diagrams, age spectra, Ca/K ratios and atmospheric ⁴⁰Ar contents are shown in Supplement Figures S4.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Claudia Benecke for moral support; Jan Sticklus for analytical support; and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for financial support (Project BO 912/8-1).

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Tourist information on the Canary Islands

Useful information Jet lag There is one hour less between the Canary Islands and Western Europe (Central European Time, CET), including mainland Spain. The Canary Islands are at the same time that Portugal and the islands to the west of Europe: Great Britain, Ireland and Iceland (Western European Time, WET). Formalities The Canaries, like the rest of Spain is part is part of the Schengen area: citizens of countries belonging to this area are not subject to police border controls. Currency The Canary Islands, like the rest of Spain, use the euro. The former currency, the peseta, was converted to 166.386 ESP rate for EUR. Electricity Voltage: 220 volts. The outlets are compatible with the French plugs. Phone Administrative information The Canary Islands are made ​​up of two provinces: the four western islands that include Tenerife, La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera, whose capital is Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and the eastern islands, which include Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and with the capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Otherwise, each island has its own internal government called the “cabildo insular.” Climate The climate of the Canary Islands is broadly Mediterranean type modified with African influences (dry winds) and trade winds. Summers are generally very hot, dry and warm, wet winters but with many variations. The most appropriate way to present all the islands is described as a succession of microclimates ranging from 0 m to approximately 4000 m altitude. Indeed, the Canary Islands are near the Tropic of Cancer. Although the climate is appropriate to the latitude desert-like, the reality is quite different. They are located in the middle of the Atlantic, swept by the trade winds and exposed to cold ocean currents that bathe their coasts. The trade winds blowing from northeast provide a permanent moisture coming from the sea, very important to the islands to the west (Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro). The mountains form a barrier, stopping the clouds and allow the emergence of rainfall between 800 and 1,500, allowing the establishment of evergreen forest. The islands east, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and the south of Gran Canaria, beyond the influence of the trade winds except the upper parts (Jandia in Fuerteventura and Famara in Lanzarote). The harmatan, dry wind from the Sahara is the cause of these islands a great dry climate. Average temperatures: winter 11 °C / 16 °C – was 20 °C / 25 °C. The annual average temperature is 20 °C (with minor oscillations) except in the mountains, where it is lower. In summer, temperatures rarely exceed 30 °C. The coldest month is February with an average temperature of 18 °C and the hottest months, July to September, with an average between 20 °C and 25 °C for the Western Isles. On the eastern islands, semi-desert, average summer temperatures reach 35 °C. It is remarkable that the temperature differences are around at least 10 °C between the north and south coasts because of the trade winds that moderate the climate. Regarding the precipitation rate, it varies with the regions, between 300 mm (in the lowlands) and 500 mm (in the higher regions). Sometimes a hot wind of desert type (calima) disturbs the followers of the god Helios. With all this and the 300 days of sun per year, the climate of the Canary Islands is considered one of the nicest in the world. Weather and forecasts The weather in Tenerife at the moment The weather in Fuerteventura at the moment The weather in Gran Canaria at the moment The weather in Lanzarote at the moment

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Canary Islands Travel Guide | Spanish Fiestas

The Canary Islands archipelago is just off the north-west coast of the Western Sahara and has long been famous as an all-year round sunshine holiday destination. There are seven main islands in the group which are all surprisingly different to each other. From west to east these are as follows: El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. In addition, there are a number of smaller islets, of which La Graciosa, to the north of Lanzarote, is the only one inhabited.

Table Of Contents

1. Geography of the Canary Islands
2. History of the Canaries
3. Language of the Canary Islands
4. Canary Islands Climate
5. Getting to the Canary Islands
6. Tourist Destinations in the Canary Islands
7. Things to do in The Canary Islands
8. Festivals in the Canary Islands
9. Food and Drink of the Canaries

The autonomous community of the Canary Islands is divided into two Provinces: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria being the eastern province and Santa Cruz de Tenerife the western one. Although originally Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was the regional capital, there are now joint capital cities.

Geography of the Canary Islands

At its closest point only some 95 km from the African coast, the Canary Islands rise from the Jurassic ocean crust and, along with Cape Verdi, the Azores and the Savage Isles are part of Macronesia. All of the islands are volcanic in origin, although of vastly different time periods. Mount Teide, on Tenerife, is not only Spain’s largest mountain peak but also the world’s third largest volcano. La Palma has been the subject of much scientific research and/or wild speculation with regard to being the island that could cause the tidal wave that destroys the eastern seaboard of the USA, and its active volcano is being constantly monitored. All of the islands are mountainous and the further east one travels, the more desert-like much of the landscape can become. There are no rivers in the Canary Islands although, after heavy rainfall, the deeply cut barrancos can run with water quite ferociously.

History of the Canaries

Pliny the Elder and Homer – and perhaps Plato in his references to Atlantis – wrote about the Canary Islands and throughout early history they were known as The Fortunate Isles, the Summits of the Atlantic and the Garden of the Hesperides. Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs all colonised the islands but they were previously inhabited by native guanches probably of North African Berber origin. It was the Romans who first gave the name Canaries to the islands – because of the dogs that were prevalent there. So the islands were named after the dogs; the birds were named after the islands!

Panoramic View of Mount Teide in Tenerife – Photo Credit: CC Ronny Siegel

It was in 1402 that the Castilian forces first came to Lanzarote and other islands, led by Jean de Béthencourt, who became King of the Canary Islands. It took until the end of the century, though, to fully overcome the fierce resistance of the indigenous people and in 1496 the islands became part of the Kingdom of Castilla.

The Canary Islands proved an ideal place to use as a base for voyaging to the Americas – indeed, they still are as cruise ships call in, and tall ships and yacht races frequently call here or start from here. The strategic importance of the archipelago led to attacks from the Turks, the Dutch and the English – Admiral Lord Nelson lost his arm in a sea fight off Tenerife – but the Spanish successfully kept control.

Thanks to the lack of light pollution in the skies of the Canary islands some of the world’s most powerful observatories are located here including those in NASA tracking stations.

The economy of the islands had been established mainly around the growing of sugar cane but during the 18th and 19th centuries this market became dominated by the Americas and the Canaries suffered an economic downturn. As a result there was mass emigration to Venezuela, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other parts of Central and Southern America and it wasn’t until the banana was introduced as a replacement for sugar cane at the end of the nineteenth century that the region started to recover. At this time, many British and other European businesses also came, helping the infrastructure develop enormously.

Franco was appointed Commander of the Canary Islands in 1936 – in order to try to get him as far away from Madrid as possible – but it was from here that he was called to lead the military uprising that led to the civil war. There was little resistance to the military in the archipelago but the regime after the war was particularly harsh on this area, leading to a great feeling of resentment. It emerged a few years ago that Franco himself was so concerned about the islands that at one stage he tried to sell them to Portugal and then, a few years later, he offered them to the USA as part of a deal for having bases in Spain.

Volcanic Beach at Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife

With the development of tourism during the last 50 years or so, there has been much more migration to the Canary Islands from the mainland of Spain and they now have a very Spanish feel to them. In spite of such migration most true Canarian people are still very proud of their guanche heritage and their traditional culture remains very active.

Language of the Canary Islands

Although the Guanche language of the indigenous peoples is extinct there are still some remnants of it in the local Spanish dialect – which even Spanish visitors from the peninsula often find difficult to understand. What is more peculiar is the presence of words adopted from the English such as ‘queque’ meaning cake and ‘guagua’ which means bus and was originally the way the local people pronounced the English word ‘wagon’ at the beginning of the twentieth century.

I recall once asking a student from the Canary Islands why he was late to class to which he replied with something that sounded like “I lose the wowa” which was his way of saying “I missed the bus”. The verb ‘perder’ meaning to lose and to miss is often confused by Spanish students

In La Gomera there is a whistling language that was developed to allow people to communicate across the wide ravines of the island and this is still in existence – but mainly for the benefit of tourists nowadays.

Canary Islands Climate

The Canary Islands have sometimes been known as the ‘islands of eternal spring’ because of their year-round pleasant weather. Basically, there is warm, sunny weather for most of the year with summer temperatures rarely becoming too hot – the maximum is about 28°C in most places – and the winter rarely dropping into single figures at night except in the mountains.

However, the further west you travel, the wetter the islands become, with the result that Hierro and La Palma are far greener than Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Similarly, because of the inland mountains, both Tenerife and Gran Canaria have much more rain in the north of the island than in the south – hence the major tourist areas being in the southern parts.

The Trade Winds are part of the reason for the mild conditions and they tend to be stronger in the summer than in the winter but occasionally they can veer in direction and come from the Sahara, resulting in a hot, sand-carrying wind, a calima, which can be quite unpleasant.

Getting to the Canary Islands

Most visitors to the islands arrive by plane with both charter and scheduled flights from all over the continent serving the major airports. If you are flying to Tenerife and are going to be based in the south, then try to select a flight to that airport as it can be a lengthy journey from Tenerife North if you should land there. The three smaller islands also have airports and the local airline, Binter Canarias Airways, operates many flights between them all each day if you want to ‘island hop’.

There are various ferry services between the islands that offer a cheaper alternative to flying and most of them cater for both foot passengers and those with cars.

Once on the islands you will discover that the largest of them have major motorways connecting the airports with the main tourist areas and roads in and around towns are generally of a good standard. Mountain roads, however, can sometimes be rather daunting until you are used to them and take note, Canarian drivers are often worse than their mainland counterparts!

There are no rail services on the islands but they all have frequent, cheap bus services – it is best to have a season ticket if you intend to travel on them frequently; they are known as ‘bonos’ and can save you as much as 50% of your fare.

Tourist Destinations in the Canary Islands

More than one third of the GDP of the Canary Islands comes from tourism. Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the two most popular destinations with visitors and they are perhaps the two most similar of all the Canary Islands. Both have their major centres of population in the north of the island, a very attractive and green mountainous interior, and huge resorts in the south. Both islands also have areas – such as Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria – that originally catered for the budget end of the market but have since tried to reinvent themselves by adding some all-inclusive and higher quality hotels.

The two islands have perhaps suffered in many ways because of their ‘cheap and cheerful’ reputations but they can offer much to the most discerning of travellers. The interiors are quite spectacular, dotted with attractive villages clinging to the mountain sides, and both have capital cities with architecture and atmosphere that can rival similar cities in mainland Spain. Meandering through the old town of Tenerife or along the spectacular city beach, Las Canteras, in Las Palmas can prove to be a rewarding experience.

The westward islands are true paradises for walkers and nature lovers. La Palma, with its wonderfully scenics walks around the volcanoes in the south or the Caldera, the enormous crater that dominates the north of the island, is known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ and there really cannot be many more beautiful places in the world. Driving around can require strong nerves and a good sense of direction but even if you do get lost the island is only 50km by 25km at its widest so it won’t take too long to orientate yourself. All three of these smaller islands, Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma, offer peaceful holidays which are light years away from the popular perception of the Canary Islands.

Fuerteventura has some spectacular wide, sandy beaches and is a delight for water sport enthusiasts. As the name implies, wind surfing and kite boarding are immensely popular here with regular World Championship events being held.

Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote

Lanzarote is in many ways a good example of well-controlled tourism. Because of the influence of the artist and architect César Manrique, strict regulations were introduced – still in place today – to govern the development of the island. There are no high rise buildings in Lanzarote and strict rules to follow about where and what developments can be built. Manrique’s influence is all around the island – sculptures on roundabouts; his fascinating house built into the volcanic landscape; the incredible Jameos del Agua, with an underground concert hall constructed in a volcanic ‘bubble’; and the Mirador el Rio, overlooking the nearby island of La Graciosa. More than anything, though, the abiding memory of Lanzarote will be of the lunar landscape and the astonishing Timanfaya National Park.

Things to do in The Canary Islands

Windsurfers, kite boarders, mountain climbers, walkers, cyclists, divers, golfers, bird watchers, naturists, sea fishermen – these are just a few of the many activities available in the islands. The respective island tourist boards have assembled excellent guides for walkers and tourist trails for those with varied interests. The ideal aspect for many, of course, is that these activities are possible throughout the year – there is no real ‘off season’.

Festivals in the Canary Islands

The Carnivals of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – both of which stretch over three weekends in February or March – are famous throughout Spain because of their vibrant atmospheres. These are truly spectacular occasions. Maspalomas, in Gran Canaria, also has a Carnival worth seeing, if only for the unforgettable Carnival Drag Queen festivities.

Las Palmas has an annual Womad festival in the autumn that attracts many international artists and both of the main islands have an impressive array of Jazz and Classical Music Festivals each year.

Food and Drink of the Canaries

The Canary Islands’ two most notable additions to Spanish cuisine are mojo and gofio. Mojo is a very spicy sauce made from garlic and peppers. It is usually red but you can also have a green version. It is served with most fish dishes here but also with the ubiquitous Canarian potatoes known as papas arrugadas. This literally means ‘wrinkled potatoes’, because they have been boiled in their jackets in very salty water until they are wrinkled. Gofio is a roasted mixture of wheat and grain or barley. Canarians tend to eat this with everything – as a breakfast cereal or just pouring it on soups or stews. It is an acquired taste and my recommendation would be to have it as a dessert, usually as Mousse de Gofio, where it has a pleasant rather rich and nutty taste.

Other Canarian dishes include watercress soup (‘Potaje de berros’) and a lovely broth known as ‘Rancho Canario’. Spanish speakers might be surprised to see ‘Ropa Viejo’ – old clothes – on local menus. This was formerly a peasant dish made up of all the left over meat and vegetables from previous meals but is now often put on as a tapas speciality.

Obviously, fish is plentiful and fresh here but there is also plenty of pork, rabbit and goat to be had and the goats’ cheese can be delicious. For many, though, the sheer freshness and tastiness of locally grown avocadoes, mangos, oranges, tomatoes, strawberries, etc. , grown all through the year and available at local markets is what really attracts about Canarian eating.

Wine is produced grown on the islands which has a distinctive flavour because of the volcanic nature of the soil. Best known are the wines of Lanzarote, especially El Grifo, a clean, crisp dry white wine that deserves a wider reputation.

Many residents drink locally produced rum – a thriving remnant of the sugar industry. You might well be given a small glass of ron miel, the native honey rum, at the end of a meal. If you are, then I hope you have a sweet tooth!

Canaries, a paradise in the ocean

There, between Europe and Africa, in Spain‘s westernmost and southernmost point lies a paradise: it is the Atlantic archipelago of the Canaries, where the climate is always warm and the natural heritage is priceless, the perfect destination for any type of travel, including hiking in the national parks, windsurfing, skiing and night life.

The islands are seven (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera), each unique and with different characteristics. Today we take you to discover these paradisiacal islands that despite the mass tourism, in the last few years are engaging more and more in environmental protection, focusing on sustainable development.

Gran Canaria

The bustling nightlife of Las Palmas and Playa del Ingles meets the desert. Gran Canaria looks like a small continent, with different climates and ecosystems, from mountain peaks to the cliffs, from woods to beaches. The western area of ​​the island was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2005 and experiences to try are infinte: whale watching, walks in the park of El Nublo, 60 km of beaches, not to mention a little shopping and museums.

Where to stay: in the heart of the island, in the village of La Lechuza, you can stay in a really nice rural hotel, with traditional architecture and design.

Tenerife

Photo by S. Hoya via Flickr

Tenerife is the largest and the highest island of the Canaries and it surprises its visitors for its culture and the diversity of landscapes: you can relax on the beach and then get to 3,718 meters above sea level, on the Teide volcano, the third highest in the world. Despite its size, the island has two World Heritage Sites: the Teide National Park, with its lunar landscapes, and the historic center of La Laguna, with its beautiful colonial architecture. Do not miss the beautiful beach of La Tejita and the incredible Anaga Rural Park. In Tenerife a few years ago it was inaugurated a village with 25 bioclimatic housing, completely self-sufficient from an energy point of view.

Where to stay: LodeCarta casa rural Arafo Tenerife awaits you for an eco-holiday. The property, that dates back to the eighteenth century, is powered only by the sun and is located on the road leading to the Teide National Park.

Fuerteventura

Photo by Xavier via Flickr

Uncontaminated coastline, emerald waters make the island of Fuerteventura a paradise for water sports, especially windsurf. You can choose from over 150 km of beaches to enjoy fresh fish, tame the waves and watch the sunset. But in recent years the tourism has become more varied, they increase the different paths, well-marked and maintained, to be covered on foot or by bicycle. And do not miss the delicious cheese!

Lanzarote

Photo by Dieter Meyer via Flickr

It is the oldest island of the Canaries and is characterized by black and red volcanic soils that find their maximum expression in the Timanfaya National Park. Already a Biosphere Reserve in 1993, Lanzarote has become the first destination in the world to achieve a sustainable tourism certification, the Biosphere Responsible Tourism certification. It is the perfect place to relax among the vineyards, volcanoes and caves.

Where to stay: Finca De Arietta is the perfect place for a rustic and simple holiday. Sleep in a yurt or in a ecological cottage, just a few steps from the sea.

La Gomera

Its lush forests make it the greenest island in the Canaries. Few tourists, it’s the perfect destination for trekking and hiking in an authentic and pristine environment. It remains one of the few places in the world where you can admire a laurel forest of humid subtropical climate that reach 40 meters high. Do not miss the unique and charming cliffs of Los Órganos, accessible only by boat.

La Palma

This island, far away from mass tourism and a Biosphere Reserve, is also called Starlight: the clear and protected skies offer unbeatable conditions for stargazing. Immerse yourself in the lush nature, discover the waterfalls, the black beach of Puerto Naos, the old town of Santa Cruz De La Palma: you’ll love this piece of heaven.

Where to stay: Finca Los Vientos is a country house, elegantly restored, in the east of the island, halfway between the airport and the capital, with a spectacular view of the valley and the ocean.

El Hierro

It is certainly the wildest and authentic island, a perfect destination for rural tourism and it is our favorite for an extraordinary event: it is the first island in the world to be 100% sustainable thanks to a system that can harness the hydro and wind power of the island. Already in the ’90s the island has adopted a model of sustainable development, focusing on recycling, organic agriculture and farming and eco-friendly transportation. It is definitely an example to follow in the world and also is a real gem, one of the most beautiful ocean floor of the world, steep cliffs, and the beautiful contrast between the lava fields and green forests are waiting for an unforgettable holiday.

Have you ever been to the Canaries? Share with us your experience!

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Which of the Canary Islands is perfect for you?

Everything about the sun-soaked Canary Islands, which could be added to the UK’s ‘green’ list from May 17 thanks to its low Covid rates and effective vaccine programme, always seems to feel bigger and brighter.

I’ve paid the Spanish islands a visit at least once a year since I was a teenager, and the enormity of the place always strikes me, whether that is while gazing up at the pineapple-top foliage of the palm trees around the hotel pool, gawping at the human-dwarfing size of the rainforest’s evergreen ferns, or running, grinning, down the dunes, my heels spraying golden sand in my wake.

I’ve risen before dawn to climb Mount Teide at Tenerife’s volcanic heart, and watched the sky turn candyfloss pink and then brightest cerulean at the start of yet another sunny winter’s day. I’ve taken off above pounding waves on a kitesurfing lesson, snorkelled with vast shoals of shiny, darting fish, and romped across jet-black lava fields and through endless pine forests. Yes, there are brash resorts, but these are confined to a couple of strips of overdeveloped land, making them easy to avoid in favour of an empty sandy beach or one of the islands few non-Canarios have even heard of.

Because that’s the other thing about the Canaries: they are plural. This is an archipelago of eight, each island with its own unique landscape. In the west, lushness prevails, with subtropical rainforests filling volcanic calderas and topping plunging cliffs. Further east, closer to Africa, a drier, flatter lavascape sees sand blown in from the Sahara, and exposed volcanic cones that resemble neat piles of ginger, cinnamon and cumin. The Atlantic surrounds you wherever you go. 

Their inclusion on the ‘green’ list of the traffic light system would mean there would be no need to quarantine on return to the UK, although on entry it will likely be necessary to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours. Visitors also need to download the local Radar Covid app. In the general scheme of things, these are not onerous requirements, and with average rainfall in May tickling zero, the Canaries are a great option for an early summer getaway. But which island is the the right one for you? Here are a few pointers… 

Best for family fun: Tenerife

Tenerife is the best-known Canary for a reason, dwarfing its neighbours with its sky-piercing volcano and glitzy attractions. Towering Teide volcano is a 12,198ft active peak that is snow-capped in winter. The summit is best reached via cable car (€27/£24 return) and you won’t forget the eye-popping Atlantic views – or the nostril-tingling sulphur plumes – in a hurry. Tenerife’s best family day out can be found at Loro Parque (loroparque.com), home to the world’s most diverse population of parrots, as well as penguins, gorillas and lions (guided tours €100pp including lunch). There are also glorious sandy beaches for sandcastle-building and parent-burying along the Costa Adeje and at Playa de las Teresitas.

Stay: The hip Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife (0800 021 1256), with its family-friendly pools, kids clubs and rooftop bar, has rooms from £95 including breakfast. Read our complete guide to the best hotels in Tenerife.

Teide 
Credit: Getty

Best for island hopping: La Gomera

The Canaries were made for island hopping, with ferries criss-crossing them. The easiest two to combine are Tenerife and La Gomera, linked by a 50-minute cruise across some of Europe’s best whale-watching waters (from €17.20 return; navieraarmas.com). From here you can spot bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales, before heading up through La Gomera’s lush valleys to the ancient laurel forest of Garajonay, with its abundant hiking trails, and the pretty beaches of Valle Gran Rey. Don’t miss the boat trip out to Los Órganos, an incredible cliffside curtain of basalt columns (€40; speedy-gomera.com).

Stay: Parador Conde de la Gomera (0034 913 742 500) offers clifftop rooms from £82 per night. Enjoy the view out towards Tenerife and the sunset-facing pool.

La Gomera
Credit: Getty

Best for first-timers: Gran Canaria

First visit? Compact Gran Canaria has a dash of everything: vast sand dunes, twisted volcanic rock formations, leafy forests and even a town set in a series of ancient caves. The people of Artenara have been cave-dwellers for centuries – and many still are. The new museum (artenara.es) may just sell you on their eco-conscious lifestyle. Also found in the island’s central mountains is Tejeda, a charming hilltop village surrounded by walking routes, and the volcanic thumb of Roque Nublo, once a place of worship for the aboriginal Guanches. The island’s south is sun-soaked and boasts Gran Canaria’s best beaches, including the shifting golden peaks of the Maspalomas dunes. You won’t have to walk far to shake off the crowds – or your clothes (it is nudist-friendly). 

Stay: The retro-chic Seaside Palm Beach (0034 928 721 032) offers dune-view rooms and a pool surrounded by palms from £200, including breakfast. Read our complete guide to the best hotels in Gran Canaria.

Maspalomas 
Credit: Getty

Best for sand and surf: Fuerteventura 

For surfing, Fuerteventura blows the other Canary Islands out of the water, with its strong winds, lava reef breaks and lengthy sand beaches. A dirt road known as the North Track sees a steady stream of surfboard-topped camper vans and wetsuit-clad water babies seeking out the best of the waves between the towns of El Cotillo and Corralejo, both of which have numerous surf schools. To the south, Fuerteventura seems to turn entirely to sand, promising endless powdery beaches stretching out into shallow turquoise waters. These are ideal conditions for windsurfing, or for scuba diving on Jandia reef. Here, you can chase trumpet fish, moray eels and groupers, and spot angel sharks and stingrays (guided dives from €46; diveprofuerte.com). 

Stay: Gran Hotel Bahía Real (0034 971 929 364), just outside Corralejo, has beach-view rooms and a chic ocean-front lounge bar. From £250, including breakfast. Read our complete guide to the best hotels in Fuerteventura.

El Cotillo
Credit: Getty

Best for a stylish break: Lanzarote 

“Lanzagrotty” is no more – the chicest of the islands has shaken off its down-at-heel reputation and emerged as the Canary of choice for the hipster crowd. Island-born architect César Manrique is largely responsible for Lanzarote’s harmonious aesthetic, having designed many of the sugar-cube casas scattered across its ebony lavascape, as well as many of the public buildings. Check out his Jameos del Agua, a volcanic tube turned café and concert venue, and the Jardín de Cactus, where the sculptural plants fill an ancient quarry (cactlanzarote.com). Lanzarote also produces the islands’ best wines from the small, friendly bodegas dotted around the interior. Bodega La Geria (lageria.com) and Bodegas Rubicón (bodegasrubicon.com) stand opposite each other, surrounded by vines and lava peaks. Both offer laidback tastings.

Stay: Manrique-style rural retreat Finca Malvasia (0034 692 155 981) has five chic self-catering apartments clustered around a small pool. Read our complete guide to the best hotels in Lanzarote.

Manrique shaped Lanzarote
Credit: Getty

Best for end-of-the-world appeal: El Hierro

Before Columbus set sail westwards, El Hierro was the edge of the known world and the island retains an end-of-the-road feel to this day. Stroll through the highland flower meadows and dense El Pinar pine ­forest, swim in the rock pools at La Maceta and feast on seafood at sleepy La Restinga – you will soon slip into island time. Don’t head back before taking a hike among the wind-battered juniper trees at El Sabinar, bludgeoned by the powerful westerlies to form eerie bent-over shapes unlike anything you will have ever seen. 

Stay: Hotel Puntagrande (0034 611 285 983) is a teeny adults-only bolt hole surrounded by the Atlantic waves. From £129 a night. 

El Hierro 
Credit: Getty

Best for a desert island escape: La Graciosa

With no cars, no flights and very few visitors, La Graciosa is the quietest Canary by far.  The only way in is by a 30-minute ferry ride (€26 return; lineasromero.com). Cross the wave-rocked strait of El Río from Lanzarote, and your choice on arrival is simple: to bike or not to bike. If you choose to hire two wheels, you will get out to remote Playa de las Conchas faster, but what’s the rush? Stick to your feet and take your time instead, circling the island on dusty beach-back trails, and clambering up Montaña Bermeja for the view down its paprika-coloured slopes to the white sands and turquoise waters beyond.

Stay: Casa Lola is an ex-fishermen’s house with seafront terrace and two bedrooms. Sleeps four from airbnb.co.uk.

La Graciosa 
Credit: Getty

What about La Palma?

In a recent feature on La Palma, Telegraph Travel’s Chris Leadbeater wrote: “Where Tenerife (918,000 residents) and Gran Canaria (851,000) are busy pockets of humanity, La Palma, though smaller than both, is far thinner of headcount – with just 82,671 souls to its name. This translates to travel. Tenerife pulls in five million tourists a year; La Palma about 275,000. But it has never courted the package market. Only the Princess Hotel on the west coast at Las Indias, and a small range of resorts on the east coast at Los Cancajos, provide anything close to the standard Canarian seaside break, on an island where the beaches are roughshod and black-sanded. 

“Instead, it revels in a different sort of beauty. Likes others in the archipelago, the island is volcanic of birth, but arguably here the geological heritage is even more on display. Maybe because it was the last to erupt – in 1971, when the Teneguia vent, in the far south, opened a vein. The lava flowed across the bottom tip of the island, leaving a hard landscape that, for all its bleakness, has a visual splendour. Most striking, perhaps, is the stubborn contrast of white and black – salt pans that harvest the easiest fruit of the ocean laid out below gloopy folds of congealed rock. Two lighthouses are stationed where these ripples reached the shore. They look like they are guarding the mouth of hell.” Read the full story. 

Where Canaries Live: A History of Canaries

Contents

• 1 Where Canaries Live: A History
  spread of canaries
• 2 How wild canaries live:
  their habitat today

“Where do canaries live in nature?” – this question is asked by many. People are used to the fact that the cage is a familiar home for this bird. And it’s hard to imagine that such a pampered creature lives anywhere else in the wild. Meanwhile, it is! Let’s try to find out in more detail where this bird lives.

Where canaries live: history
spread of canaries

Ancestor
familiar to us home canary –
reel
canary. Its main area
habitats were originally Canarian and
Azores and the island
Madeira. That is, the area near the western
African coasts. Actually,
Canary Islands and served as a source
bird names inspiration.
But, as we know, there is also a European
wild
subspecies of these birds. So how did he get
to the mainland?

Happened
it is in the 15th century. Namely, in 1478 –
then landed on the Canary Islands
Spaniards. The goal was simple – to expand
their colonial possessions. At the same time and
see what’s interesting
take from this place.

And among the phenomena that attracted the attention of the Spaniards was the singing of lovely bright birds. Despite the fact that the birds did not survive captivity very well at that time, the locals already at that time tried to domesticate them.

INTERESTING: However, the Spanish guests were fascinated by the singing of a wild canary rather than a domestic one. For, as the naturalist named Bolle wrote, nature leaves a special imprint on roulades.

Noted
that the sounds of wild songbirds are more sonorous,
clean – in the air simply
sound is lost. A
chest sounds are much more impressive
stronger! Local
residents, remarkably, tried
make their pets learn
the singing of wild brethren.

Spaniards
so delighted with the canaries,
that for 100 years they considered themselves
the only people who have
the right to take such singers outside
their usual habitat. enchanted
conquerors and the voice of birds, and color.
Colors
songbirds when spring comes, and the truth
astounded by their brilliance. And
Spaniards exported most often males as
the most vociferous representatives
of its kind.

Exists
the story that the Spanish ship,
transporting canaries, crashed
in the Malta area. Someone from the ship’s crew
managed to open the cages – and the birds flew out
from there, settled in Malta, crossed
with local birds. And their offspring
turned out to be no less beautiful and vociferous,
than parents.

Following Spain, canaries migrated to Italy and then to Germany. It happened at the very beginning of the 17th century. In Germany, these songbirds especially took root. Now the canary, called “European wild”, lives in Eastern Europe up to the western regions of Belarus, Ukraine. Even the Leningrad region and the Baltic states obeyed this feathered one. True, it is believed that European birds are not as melodious as their more southern counterparts.

How wild canaries live:
their habitat today

A
now let’s talk in schematic easy
to perceive the format of what is
life of a canary in natural conditions:

• More
  explorers in past centuries
  wrote about where
  canaries live.
  According to the works already mentioned here
  Bolle, shady forests are not for canaries
  like. But forest plantations that are not
  differ in special density, they are quite
  fit. The edge of some grove,
  an abundance of shrubs – here is a bright
  the songstress is quite possible to meet. Especially
  canaries love gardens nearby
  human housing .
  But they also like sand dunes very much.
  It is believed that the optimal height of the place
  habitat for canaries – 1500 m above
  sea ​​level.
• Why
  Are dense forests not suitable? It stands here
  remember what these birds have
  food.
  It is mainly vegetable – seeds,
  herbs, weeds, various fruits. Sometimes
  Insects can also be used as food.
  Feathered birds find food on the ground among
  other vegetation. Naturally,
  dense tree crowns are undesirable
  nearby – they will give a completely unnecessary
  to search for food shade.

• Love
  canaries are also an area with small
  ponds, streams. Bathing
  is their passion. By the way, she passed
  and domesticated canaries.
• High
  trees, as already mentioned,
  birds don’t need it. They are used to nesting
  at a height of about 3-4 meters. Speaking of
  nesting: the nest consists of mosses,
  stems, fluff. That is, one of these
  components must certainly
  be present nearby. And also a bush or
  the tree should be at least a little hidden behind
  its foliage is such a nest.

• Important
  as well as temperature. overwhelming
  most canaries like medium
  mode – such that there is no heat, but
  so that it doesn’t get cold. Except that,
  some European birds
  adapted to low temperatures
  – red-faced finch, for example. A
  so basically it is considered optimal
  range from +16 to +24 degrees. Time
  their egg laying is March, April,
  as well as May. So it’s too cold
  spring is undesirable.

The canary is loved by many people as a cute pet. We hope that the fans of these birds were interested in learning about how it is customary for them to live in natural conditions.

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About the canary and the history of its domestication

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About the canary and the history of its domestication

The canary belongs to the family of finches, which unites 468 species, which are grouped into 4 subfamilies: bunting, Darwin’s finches, cardinal finches and true finches. Up to 125 species of birds belong to the last subfamily, including the canary.

The Latin name for the wild canary is Serinus canaria. The first, generic, name is associated with sweet-voiced mythical sirens, and the species name is associated with the habitat of birds, the Canary Islands. The closest relatives of birds belonging to the genus Serinus are 14 species. Most of them are inhabitants of the African continent, but 2 species live in our country. These are canary and red-capped finches.

The homeland of canaries is the Canary archipelago, located not far from the northwestern coast of Africa. Its largest islands, where canaries are especially numerous, are Palma, Gomera, Gran Canarim, Hierro and Tenerife. In addition, they inhabit the islands of Madeira and Azores. The Atlantic Ocean has a great stabilizing influence on the temperature regime of this region, which is located in the subtropical and tropical climate zones. So, the January air temperature here is not lower than plus 16 degrees Celsius, and the July one does not rise above 24 degrees. Favorable climate and high air humidity contribute to the constant vegetation of plants. These islands are of volcanic origin and are covered with rather high mountains.

Coloration of wild canaries is not bright. The top of the body is variegated, yellowish-green in color, the forehead, eyebrows, neck, throat and chest are golden yellow with a greenish tint. The sides of the neck are ash grey. Abdomen and rump yellow-green. The flight feathers are dark brown with green outer webs, the tail is dark gray, almost black with light tops of the feathers.

Wild canaries prefer to settle in forests on mountain slopes up to 1800 meters above sea level. They are also found in the cultural landscape – on plantations and in gardens. They feed mainly on seeds of herbaceous plants, fruits and insects. One of the main components in the diet of canaries are the seeds of canary grass, which grows wild on the islands.

Canary nesting season lasts from March to July. Then there is a molt, which lasts 2.5 – 3 months. During the season, birds grow 2-3 broods. During the non-breeding period, canaries gather in flocks and roam in search of food.

Canary nests are made from blades of grass and thin plant fibers. They are placed in the forks of branches at least two meters above the ground. The nest tray is lined with plant down. The clutch consists of 4 – 5 bluish eggs covered with brown specks. The average incubation period is 13 days. Only the female incubates the clutch, and the male protects the nesting territory from encroachments by other males. At this time, he often performs his wonderful song.

The hatchlings are first fed by both parents. But when the young leave the parental shelter, and this happens on the 17-18th day, the female begins to build a new nest, and her husband feeds the brood for about a week, after which he switches to building and protecting the second nest.

The song of the wild canary is very similar to the song of its outbred domestic counterparts, although not so rich in knees. It is very sonorous, with beautiful tints, the male constantly changes its ending.

Canaries have long been kept in cages by indigenous people, even before the arrival of Europeans. The Spaniards and the Portuguese, who conquered the islands in the 15th century, immediately identified these birds among the many birds that live here, and began to bring canaries to Spain and Portugal. These countries managed for some time to maintain a monopoly in the breeding and sale of canaries. This was achieved by selling only males. At that time, canaries were fabulous prices, only very rich people could afford to buy them. Often, kenars were kept in gold or silver cages adorned with precious stones.

However, in the middle of the 16th century, canaries began to be successfully bred in a number of countries. They describe a case when a batch of canaries was released from a Spanish merchant ship that crashed off the Italian coast. Having settled in local groves, they began to nest with females of the canary finch, their close European relative. As a result of this natural experiment, a hybrid offspring appeared, almost not inferior in song quality to purebred canaries. Local residents drew attention to this, caught some of the birds, among which were hybrid females. Since that time, canaries began to spread rapidly throughout Europe.

So it was or otherwise, but already at the turn of the 16th – 17th centuries, the first signs of the domestication of our songbird appeared. In different places and independently of each other, pure yellow chicks began to appear in ordinary green birds. By the beginning of the 18th century, up to 30 color forms of canaries were bred. Subsequently, through directional selection, many breeds of singing and decorative canaries were obtained with clearly fixed hereditary traits. Differences from the wild form were no longer limited to coloration. The shape and proportions of the body, the structure of the plumage, and the size of the birds have become different. If the body length of a wild canary is 13 centimeters, then breeds are now known that are much larger than it. So, the body length of the Lancashire and Parisian curly canaries reaches 22 centimeters.

In the 19th century, the canary conquered the whole world due to its remarkable properties – ease of keeping and breeding, beauty of colored and decorative breeds and beautiful voice of song breeds. She perfectly settled down in the apartments of the inhabitants of America, Australia, South Asia and Africa.

Canaries were first brought to Russia in the 18th century from Germany. Work with singing canaries was especially developed here. The brought birds had a rich knee and loud Tyrolean nightingale song. But subsequently, Russian amateur breeders began to select males who sing especially melodically, in which there were no loud and harsh sounds in the song. Birds with gentle high and melodic trills were highly valued. And already at the end of the last century, the fame of the Russian canary swept through many countries of Europe and America. Especially good were Gorshkovsky, Ryabovsky, Muzlanovsky and other “moves” of the song, named after their creators. Many residents of the Linen Factory and Pavlov-on-Oka were engaged in breeding oatmeal canaries. At 19In 01, the Moscow circle of lovers of songbirds and other free birds was created, many of whose members bred canaries.

Canary breeding in our country has acquired a wide scope. In addition to songbirds, many colored and decorative breeds of these birds appeared. Currently, amateurs are engaged in the hybridization of the canary with domestic species of granivorous birds, the selection of the Russian song canary.

Canary breeding has also received great development abroad, especially in European countries.

Thus, the history of the domestication of the canary has been going on for about 500 years.

V.A. Ostapenko “Canary”

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Canaries: care and maintenance at home

Canaries are one of the most musical and cute domestic birds, canaries delight their owners with pleasant melodic singing, a variety of colors and unusual shapes

Features

How to choose

Acclimatization

Cage

Care

What to buy

Nutrition

Health

Features of the species

About 100 varieties

Three main groups: colored, decorative, song

Size of song:

12 – 14. 5 cm;

Decorative:

13 – 23 cm

Melody remembers and imitate human speech

,

Canary Weights:

30-50 g

Came sounds with a frequency of 1100 to 10000 Herz

Life expectancy: up to 15 years

Origin: Canary Islands

Plumage colors: white, red, orange, brown, green, black, grey, agate and yellow

How to choose a healthy canary?

Pay attention to the environment and cleanliness of the place of purchase

Nostrils: not clogged, no discharge

Nails clean, shiny; there are no white wen on the paws

Read the reviews about the breeder, pet store

Eyes: clean, shiny, without redness, spots, discharge

Cerebrum: no crust, plaque, growths

The bird is active, not lethargic, not puffy

Feathers are smooth, bright and close to each other

Preferably after 1 molt, older than

6 months

Form: the bird is taut, without obesity or thinness, no swelling

Beak without cracks, growths and raids choosing the singing variety of the canary (only males sing), ask the seller for the singing time to see the bird

Cage

Rectangular cage

Combination of metal and plastic or wood: ash, oak, beech

Spacious, minimum length: 40 cm

Distance between bars no more than 1. 5 cm

Pull-out plastic tray

Place the cage in a well-lit, draft-free area

Name

parrot?

No, not Kesha!

List of unusual

and beautiful names

Read

First pet

for a child

Why is he so important

for the development of children

Read

Minipet therapy

About the benefits of small

animals in the house

What is inside the cage

5 Read 6