Pico de Fogo,
Cape Verde Islands
Colby College Geology Department
Daniel MacDonald and Matt Epstein
Geography and Tectonics
• Located off the west
coast of Africa
• Within the boundaries
of the African Plate
• Formed above mantle
plume
Population:
Area:
37,200
476 km2
Fogo is roughly circular, with a width
of about 25 km
Form and Dimensions
 Active stratovolcano
 Summit Elevation: 2829m
(9279 ft.)
 Vent/cone enclosed
within the larger caldera
(Cha Caldera) which is
roughly 9 km
 Caldera opens out on the
east side- possibly from
past eruptions
Features
Eruptive History
Pico de Fogo, it’s
estimated, began it’s
eruptive history as
far back as 1500.
Since then, Pico de
Fogo has erupted in:
•
•
•
•
1680
1769
1785
1799
•
•
•
•
1816
1847
1852
1857
•
•
•
•
1909
1951
1995
2014
Current Eruption
 Began erupting on
November 23, 2014
 Lava from multiple vents
merged to form one flow
which destroyed two
villages (Portela and
Bangeira) in Cha Caldera
 http://earthquakereport.com/2014/12/08/
fogo-volcano-activityreport-lava-flow-speedincreases-downhill/
Geology
 Foidite – Rock possibly containing
minerals of plagioclase, biotite,
pyroxene, and/or olivine among
others.
 Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite –
Another rock near the top of
Bowen’s reaction series that sits
between the composition of
trachyte and basalt.
 Phonolite – Igneous rock with
composition between felsic and
mafic.
Eruptive Styles
 Strombolian-> lava fountains
and flows that have low
viscosity.
 Pahoehoe and aa flows are also
common during eruptions
(like the ones from the video).
 Frequent eruptions prevent
pressure from building
causing less explosive
eruptions.
Tourism
 Hiking and Horseback riding
 Tourists can explore São Filipe
(the biggest city), and take a
taxi to the volcano caldera
 They can also visit Tinteira, a
town built with dark lava
rocks
 Lastly, the black sand beaches
on Fogo are an equally
desirable tourist destination
Monitoring
 Installment of the VIGIL
network after the 1995 eruption
 Seismographic stations,
broadband and short-period
 Tiltmeters
 CO2 sensors
 Geothermal research currently
happening on Pico de Fogo
Bibliography

Afp. "Volcanic Eruption in Cape Verde Destroys Two Villages." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 16

"Cape Verde Islands." Cape Verde: Island of Fogo. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.capeverde.com/islands/fogo.html>.

"Fogo Volcano." Fogo Volcano. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.photovolcanica.com/VolcanoInfo/Fogo/Fogo.html>.

"Fogo Volcano Activity Report – New Satellite Lava Flow Map." EarthquakeReportcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Jan. 2015. <http://earthquake-report.com/2014/12/08/fogo-volcano-activity-report-lava-flow-speedincreases-downhill/>.

Fonseca, Joao F.B.D. "Multiparameter Monitoring of Fogo Island, Cape Verde, for Volcanic Risk
Mitigation." Multiparameter Monitoring of Fogo Island, Cape Verde, for Volcanic Risk Mitigation (n.d.): n. pag.
Science Direct. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~anaf/papers/fonseca_et_al_2003_jvgr.pdf>.

"Global Volcanism Program | Fogo." Global Volcanism Program | Fogo. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=384010>.

"Pico Do Fogo Volcanic Eruption | EarthScope." Pico Do Fogo Volcanic Eruption. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan.
2015. <http://www.earthscope.org/science/geo-events/pico-do-fogo-volcanic-eruption>.
Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-2876017/Volcaniceruption-Cape-Verde-destroys-villages.html>.