Caldeira do Faial Shrine - Faial Island, Portugal
N 38° 34.841 W 028° 42.373
26S E 351382 N 4271626
A shrine near the Caldeira do Faial of the Cabeço Gordo volcano on Faial Island in the Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal.
Waymark Code: WMA3Z2
Location: Arquipélago dos Açores, Portugal
Date Posted: 11/13/2010
Views: 8
The shrine is located along the Ten Volcanoes Trail near its highest point before it begins heading down into the caldera. It is constructed of large gray stone blocks held together with white mortar, has a blue and white tile arrangement inside that appears to depict a Saint, and has a simple white cross on top.
Information about the Volcano from Wikipedia:
"Cabeço Gordo (Portuguese for "fat mountain") is the highest mountain, massive stratovolcano and the largest geomorphological structure that forms the island of Faial. The mountain/volcano is 1,043 meters above sea level, consisting of a two kilometer wide caldera, that is 400 m in depth below the crater rim. From Cabeço Gordo, on a clear day, the islands of the central group of the Azores are visible: Pico, Sao Jorge, and Graciosa, although normally the caldera may be covered in clouds and fog.
History
Along the western edge of the Ribeirinha Volcano, the Central Volcanic Complex formed about 410,000 years ago, along with several structures that arose from tectonics. Evidence of this process has not been preserved due to subsistence, but it is generally believed that two formations (an Upper and Lower group) reflecting a geochemical variation that occurred about 16,000 years ago. The Lower group (from 410,000 years ago), was marked by the predominance of a Hawaiian/Strombolian eruptive process, that was composed of basaltic and benmoreitic rocks. The secondary, Upper group, was a highly explosive period (sub-Plinian in character), which produced a series of twelve deposits of pumice and surge deposits (pyroclastic flows of trachytic and benmoreitic).
Although the central volcano has not been active within the past two centuries, it has seen activity related to the eruption of Capelinhos (1957–58). During this period, fumaroles in the caldera became active, and the minor lakes/swamps were dried-up by excessive heat.
Cabeço Gordo, due to its central nature, is part of each parish on the island (except for Matriz, Conceição and Angustias)."