Foto's

If you're interested in Volcanoes and the activity of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, then you might have heard that the Azores sit very near 3 separate tectonic plates which are still moving apart at a rate of about 2 cm a year.

Around 200 million years ago Africa, Europe and the Americas were all one continent. As they began to split apart into 3 tectonic plates the ocean basin/Atlantic began to form.

When the plates began to separate apart, a rift formed - today referred to as the Mid Atlantic Ridge which lies close to the Azores.

The crust thinned putting pressure on the mantle rock below the crust. The mantle rock then melted and rose, causing volcanic activity.
Most of the Atlantic ridge is underwater, and a huge amount of volcanic activity is needed to form an island. The theory behind the formation of the Azores is that they originated from a hotspot of particularly hot rock pushing up from the mantle.

The Azores are volcanically formed islands, and 12 active volcanoes are spread across them. Volcanoes on the Azores that have erupted since the beginning of the 20th century include those on Faial and Sao Jorge, whilst volcanoes that have erupted over the last 2000 years include Terceira and Pico.

After seeing this picture I wonder what's going on down there deeper... at the Ridge...




Model - NIKON D50
DateTime - 2006:06:20 19:49:12
ExposureTime - 1/1600 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
LightSource - Fine weather
ExposureMode - Auto
White Balance - Manual
FocalLength - 80 mm
Image Quality - FINE
White Balance - SUNNY
Image Sharpening - AUTO
ISO 2 - 200
Tone Compensation - AUTO
Optimization – VIVID
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