Landslide processes on volcanic edifices in the north-eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

In the northeastern Atlantic there are (from south to north) archipelagoes of the volcanic islands of Cape Verde, Canary, Selvagens, Madeira and Azores. They were formed on the oceanic crust in Miocene-Quaternary times. Analysis of the geological structure of the thirty islands leads to the conclusion that half of them were destroyed at different times in the course of their evolution by catastrophic landslide processes. On some of these islands such events have occurred more than once. They caused tsunamis and formed large landslide masses in the adjacent parts of the ocean. Based on the data presented, the assumption is made of volcanic edifices that may have been destroyed by landslide processes. A prerequisite for landslides on a volcanic edifice could be a shift of its center of gravity.

Keywords

• cape verde islands
• canaries
• azores
• volcanic edifice
• landslide