Volcanism and Environment
2007 Exploration Seminar in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Program Director: Bruce Nelson, Earth & Space Sciences
Date of Instruction: September 1 to September 21

The Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, include some of the largest and best exposed active volcanoes on Earth. They provide an ideal and readily accessible natural laboratory to study how ocean island volcanoes grow and collapse, how magmas erupt and solidify, and how volcanism contributes to the physical and chemical evolution of our planet.

The islands support unique ecosystems that have adapted to a volcanic environment isolated in the middle of the ocean.

Canary Island Exploration seminar class (2004) at the pension where they stayed for the first half of the course in Los Llanos, island of La Palma

As a Spanish province for the last 500 years they preserve a complex history of colonization and incorporation into a distant European government.

The course will focus on using this beautiful and dramatic natural laboratory to study volcanic processes. We will study

both the large and small scale: taking advantage of the extreme topographic relief to study the internal structure of a volcano, and the wide range of rock types to understand the mineralogical evolution of magma. The course will cover essential techniques of studying volcanoes in the field, interpreting data we gather from field measurements and observations, and synthesizing the results of several miniprojects into a more comprehensive interpretation of how oceanic volcanoes develop. Follow-up independent research on samples returned to Seattle is also a possibility. The geological study will be interspersed with an introduction to the ecology and cultural history of the Canary Islands. We will be based on the islands of La Palma and Tenerife.

Spanish volcanologist Juan-Carlos Carracedo explains origins of Volcano Teide, in background, on island of Tenerife.

During the first part of the course we will stay in a pension on the central plaza of the town of Los Llanos on the island of La Palma. From there we will explore the seamount origins of the volcano, hike along the Ruta de los Volcanes to study the 1949 eruptions, map and interpret the sequence of volcanism during the 1677 and 1971 eruptions, and explore the older, volcanically extinct northern side of the island. We may also be able to visit the astronomical observatory complex on the top Taburiente.

For the second part of the course we will take the ferry to Tenerife, and stay in rented houses (casas rurales) in small villages. Most of our time will be spent high on the volcano in the National Park, with a couple of excursions to see volcanic deposits near sea level.

Students hiking along a river valley after exploring a system of springs controlled by volcanic strata and intrusions, island of La Palma

Physical fitness is an important prerequisite for this course. Because of the remote location of some of our study sites, you must be able to hike most days of the course. We will work from sea level to as high as 2400 meters (7,800 feet). Although we will always return to town each day and not spend any nights in the field, many hikes will last most of the day, with elevation gain as much as 800 meters (2,600 feet). Temperatures are generally mild, but may range from upper 80's to 40's at high elevation.

On La Palma we will eat in restaurants, sometimes as a large group and sometimes as small groups or as people prefer. On Tenerife we will have the possibility to cook our own meals, but will still rely on some restaurant meals.

Participants will receive 5 credits of ESS 402 - International Field Geology. Prerequisite: A 100- or 200-level ESS course and 2 of the required ESS major courses at the 200-level or above; or permission from the instructor

Students in the 2004 Canary Islands seminar measure and describe submarine volcanic rocks that have been uplifted and now outcrop on the island of La Palma

Student costs:  
$2,900 Program Fee
$200 IPE Fee
Additional costs include: Round trip airfare to the Canary Islands, meals, health insurance, course materials and personal expenses.

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