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The origin of some collapse structures in the Canary Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

W. I. Ridley
W. I. Ridley
Affiliation:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas 77058
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Summary

Three large collapse structures, two bounded by straight, vertical escarpments and curved head regions, are described from Tenerife. Similar structures appear to exist on Hierro and La Palma. Their size precludes landsliding as the dominant force in their formation, although it may have played a minor role in modifying the bounding walls. It is suggested that these structures are true volcanic collapse features developed by a ‘trap-door’ type of mechanism. The lack of classical caldera shapes appears to be a reflection of a lack of well-defined central volcanism on any of the islands, the collapses probably resulting from migration of magma away from the central rift-zones towards the flanks of the islands.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 108 , Issue 6 , November 1971 , pp. 477 - 484
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

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