Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Flores.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Flores.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Flores.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

382001

950 BCE

914 m / 2,999 ft

39.462°N
31.216°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano(es)
Caldera(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite
Trachyandesite / Basaltic Trachyandesite
Trachyte / Trachydacite

Minor
Phono-tephrite / Tephri-phonolite

Tectonic Setting

Intraplate
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

1,054
4,560
5,825
5,865

Geological Summary

Flores Island and Corvo Island to its north are located over 200 km W of the other Azores islands, west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Growth of an initially submarine volcano included Pleistocene explosive activity associated with formation of small calderas. The 12 x 17 km island of Flores contains numerous cones and craters. Following a long period of quiescence beginning about 200,000 years ago, several phreatomagmatic craters and associated lava flows erupted during the Holocene. The Caldeira Funda de Lajes tuff ring formed about 3,150 years ago, accompanied by a lava flow that reached the SE coast at Lajes. The Caldeira Comprida tuff ring in Caldeira Seca, west-central Flores, erupted about 2,900 years ago and produced a lava flow that traveled NW to the coast at Faja Grande.

This volcano is located within the Azores, a UNESCO Global Geopark property.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Azevedo J M M, Ferreira M R P, 2006. The volcanotectonic evolution of Flores Island, Azores (Portugal). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 156: 90-102.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Mitchell-Thome R C, 1976. Geology of the Middle Atlantic Islands. Berlin: Gebruder Borntraeger, 382 p.

Morisseau M, Traineau H, 1985. Mise en evidence d'une activite hydromagmatique Holocene sur l'Ile de Flores (Acores). CR Acad Sci Paris, 301: 1309-1314.

Zbyszewski G, Candido de Medeiros A, Veiga Ferreira O da, Torre de Assuncao C, 1968. Geologic map of Ihla das Flores (Azores). Servicos Geologicos Portugal, 1:25,000 scale map with 31 p text (in Portuguese).

Eruptive History

There is data available for 2 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0950 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Caldeira Comprida

0950 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 5 Events for Episode 1 at Caldeira Comprida

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow	Entered water.
- - - -	- - - -	Lapilli
- - - -	- - - -	Scoria

1200 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Caldeira Funda de Lajes

1200 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 5 Events for Episode 1 at Caldeira Funda de Lajes

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow	Entered water.
- - - -	- - - -	Lapilli
- - - -	- - - -	Scoria

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Camprida, Caldeira

Tuff ring

530 m

39° 26' 28.00" N

31° 13' 17.00" W

Funda de Lajes, Caldeira

Tuff ring

365 m

39° 24' 21.00" N

31° 13' 4.00" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Branca, Caldeira

Maar

570 m

39° 26' 56.00" N

31° 13' 30.00" W

Masteiro, Caldeira

Crater

250 m

39° 25' 26.00" N

31° 15' 15.00" W

Negra, Lagoa

Crater

540 m

39° 26' 32.00" N

31° 13' 32.00" W

Rasa, Caldeira

Crater

535 m

39° 24' 35.00" N

31° 13' 29.00" W

Seca, Caldeira

Crater

551 m

39° 26' 44.00" N

31° 12' 59.00" W

Photo Gallery

Lakes occupy Caldeira Funda (left) and Caldeira Rasa (right) on SW Flores Island in this view from the east. The Caldeira Funda de Lajes tuff ring formed about 3,150 years ago, accompanied by a lava flow that reached the coast to the southeast. The 12 x 17 km island of Flores has numerous cones and craters.

Photo by Björn Ehrlich, 2007 (Wikipedia).

In the Azores archipelago west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the 12 x 17 km Flores Island, shown in this February 2018 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top). Initially a submarine volcano, the island formed through the eruption of different vents, forming cones, craters, maars, and associated eruption products like lava flows.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Flores in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Flores. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Flores. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Flores

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).