Volcanic Geomorphological Classification of The
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Geomorphology 228 (2015) 432–447 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Geomorphology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/geomorph Volcanic geomorphological classification of the cinder cones of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) J. Dóniz-Páez ⁎ Department of Geography and History, University of La Laguna, Campus de Guajara s/n, 38071, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain Escuela Universitaria de Turismo Iriarte, adscrita a La Universidad de La Laguna, 38400, Puerto de La Cruz, Tenerife, Spain Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), Puerto de La Cruz, Tenerife, Spain article info abstract Article history: This paper proposes a method to establish a morphological classification of Tenerife's cinder cones on the basis of Received 9 April 2014 a dual analysis of qualitative (existence, geometry and disposition of craters) and quantitative morphometric pa- Received in revised form 29 September 2014 rameters (major and minor diameters and cone elongation, major and minor diameters and crater elongation). Accepted 5 October 2014 The result obtained is a morphological classification of the cinder cones of Tenerife, which can be sub-divided Available online 12 October 2014 into four types: ring-shaped-cones, horseshoe-shaped-volcanoes, multiple volcanoes and volcanoes without cra- ter. In Tenerife there is a clear dominance of horseshoe-shaped volcanoes (69.0%) over ring-shaped cones Keywords: fi Volcanic geomorphology (13.1%), volcanoes without craters (11.4%) and multiple volcanoes (6.4%). The classi cation presented in this Morphological parameters paper is characterized by its simplicity which makes it possible to include all morphological types of volcanoes Morphological classification found in Tenerife. This fact also renders our classification a useful tool to apply in other, both insular and conti- Cinder or scoria cones nental volcanic areas to eventually analyze and systematize the study of eruptive edifices with similar traits. Tenerife © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Spain 1. Introduction maar or maar-diatremes, tuff rings and tuff cones). This classification is primarily based on the morphological aspects and dominant eruption The general characteristics of monogenetic volcanoes have been an- styles of these volcanoes (Tort and Finizola, 2005; Gomez, 2012; alyzed in several works (Wood, 1980a,b; Cas and Wright, 1987; Ollier, Kereszturi and Németh, 2012; Di Traglia et al., 2014). 1988; Romero, 1991, 1992; Francis, 1993; Poblete, 1995; Cárdenas, Rittmann (1963) classifies monogenetic volcanoes such as cinder 1996; Connor and Conway, 2000; Vespermann and Schminke, 2000; cones that release a little amount of basaltic products (lapilli, scoria, Dóniz-Páez, 2004; Favalli et al., 2009; Bemis et al., 2011; Fornaciai bombs, spatter, lavas) (b1km3) at high temperature (1000–1200 °C). et al., 2012; Grosse et al., 2012; Kereszturi and Németh, 2012; The resulting volcanic forms are morphologically homogeneous volca- Becerra-Ramirez, 2013). The studies about the morphology of monoge- noes (Rittmann, 1963; Macdonald, 1972), which are small, and produce netic volcanoes have undergone considerable improvement in recent equally small in volume eruptive products, and therefore, they are con- decades (Di Traglia et al., 2014). Monogenetic volcanoes are the most sidered to be simple. Current research shows that they can be fairly big, common volcanoes on Earth (Wood, 1980a) and appear shaping volca- and/or have erupted through a longer time span, and/or followed some nic fields in different tectonic contexts. These volcanic fields comprise irregular eruptive path (Kereszturi and Németh, 2012; Kereszturi et al., small volcanoes such as cinder or scoria cones, maars, tuff cones, tuff 2013b). These various phenomena resulted and are reflected in their rings, small shield volcanoes and lava domes (Connor and Conway, morphology, this then being far more complex than just a simple cone 2000). These volcanic structures are dominantly mafic in composition with a crater. The shapes of monogenetic volcanoes are the result of and characterized by the short duration of their eruptions, from several complex evolutions (eruptive activity, structural setting and erosion days to a few years (Németh, 2010). Monogentic mafic volcanoes usual- processes) (Di Traglia et al., 2014). In this sense Romero (1991), ly appear on the flanks of composite-stratovolcanoes, like in Etna or Dóniz-Páez (2004) and Becerra-Ramirez (2013) show the geomorpho- Teide, large shield volcanoes, such as Kilauea, or in volcanic rifts, as in logical and structural complexity of cinder or scoria cones. Cumbre Vieja volcano (Connor and Conway, 2000; Geyer and Martí, The cinder cones are formed by near-vent accumulation of tephra 2010). Conventionally, the authors have documented five types of that is characterized by various degrees of agglutination or welding monogenetic volcanoes (lava spatter cones, scoria or cinder cones, (Vespermann and Schminke, 2000; Valentine et al., 2007). The cinder, spatter and lava cones are normally associated with maficmagma,but ⁎ Tel.: +34 922316502x6145. in Tenerife these volcanoes include olivine basalts, olivine-pyroxenic E-mail address: [email protected]. basalts and alkaline basalts with olivine (Barrera et al., 1988). The cinder http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.10.004 0169-555X/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. J. Dóniz-Páez / Geomorphology 228 (2015) 432–447 433 cones generally constitute elongated edifices, evidenced by both the volcanoes are located is not greater than 25° (Dóniz-Páez, 2011). In gen- number of craters along a fracture and the elongation (Cas and eral, the morphology of the cinder cones corresponds to a truncated Wright, 1987; Francis, 1993; Romero et al., 2000; Dóniz-Páez et al., cone (Macdonald, 1972; Cas and Wright, 1987; Francis, 1993). Never- 2008). Cone elongation represents in turn the distortion factors of the theless, cinder cones are simple because most of them erupted through morphology of the volcano, and the former is obtained by dividing the a limited period of time (days to years). These volcanoes are associated cone major diameter by the cone minor diameter (Romero et al., with explosive fragmentation of low viscosity magmas, among other 2000; Dóniz-Páez et al., 2008). In Tenerife the cones have 1 to 20 craters distinctive traits. and the average elongation index is 1.47 with a maximum of 2.03. These The cinder cones have been categorized using different morpholog- volcanoes are constructed from fractures opened in steep slope areas ical classifications (Thuoret, 1999). Traditionally, these classifications (N10°) (Corazzato and Tibaldi, 2006; Tibaldi and Lagmay, 2006; Favalli (morphogenetic or morphological) only refer to two main morphologi- et al., 2009; Fornaciai et al., 2012), but in Tenerife the slope where the cal categories, namely, ring-shaped cones and horseshoe volcanoes Fig. 1. A ring-shaped cinder cone in Lanzarote (Canary) (left) and horseshoe volcanoes in El Hierro (Canary) (right). 434 J. Dóniz-Páez / Geomorphology 228 (2015) 432–447 Fig. 2. Simplified geological map of Tenerife (modified from Ancochea et al., 1990). (Macdonald, 1972; Cas and Wright, 1987)(Fig. 1). Therefore, all those The geomorphological classifications of monogenic volcanism are volcanoes that do not exhibit this morphology correspond to eruptions one of the main objectives of the volcanic geomorphology (Porter, in which some kind of disturbances have occurred (dip of eruptive 1972; Wood, 1980a; Thuoret, 1999; Kereszturi and Németh, 2012; conduit, fracturing system, distinctive eruptive phases, wind effect, Kervyn et al., 2012). The high number of cinder cones on Tenerife and slope, etc.). Nevertheless, it is evident that cinder cones can show their morphological variety (Dóniz-Páez, 2004) render a classification more complex morphologies. In research works dedicated specifically of these volcanoes all the more necessary. The aim of this paper is to to the analysis of scoria cones, differences in shape, size and evolution classify the cinder cones of Tenerife on both qualitative (shape of craters of the monogenetic mafic volcanism have been made clear (Romero, and edifices, etc.) and quantitative (morphometry) bases using mor- 1991; Dóniz-Páez et al., 2008, 2011, 2012; Kereszturi et al., 2012, phological parameters such as major and minor diameters and cone 2013a,b). elongation, major and minor diameters and crater elongation. The The detailed observation of the geomorphological features of the source data used for the spatial localization of cinder cones and the cinder cones of Tenerife Island reveals the morphological variety of morphometric analysis are the digital topography at scale 1:10,000, these volcanoes; for this reason the volcanoes cannot be classified geological maps at scale 1:25,000, geomorphological maps and aerial according to Rittmann's (1963) proposal, because it only considers the photographs at scale 1:30,000 and 1:18,000, and, finally field work most significant volcanic forms. According to Thuoret (1999),tradition- (Dóniz-Páez, 2004 and Dóniz-Páez et al., 2008). The results enable ex- al classifications of cinder cones were based on the type of activity, the trapolation of this geomorphological classification of the cinder cones magma and the emitted products. These classifications have been to other, both insular and continental volcanic areas. progressively improved by bearing in mind a large number of factors. There are geomorphological classifications of the cinder cones depend- 2. Geological and geomorphological