Vulkaninseln als ozeanische Geosysteme

The structural, temporal, compositional and volcanic evolution of oceanic intraplate islands is one of the major research areas in our department. A regional focus is on the island groups and seamounts along the passive margin off Northwest Africa. The Canary Islands which are characterized by an unususally large compositional spectrum of igneous rocks and long magmatic histories, exceeding 20 Ma in some islands, are the main target area for our ongoing combined on- and offshore studies. We here report on specific events and stages in the structural and chemical evolution of the island of Gran Canaria and its sedimentary apron using a variety of methods. Detailed studies of constructive and destructive processes during island evolution have allowed to predict - and verify by deep sea drilling - the submarine and subaerial evolution of Gran Canaria and its surrounding sedimentary basins. Our aim is to develop a globally representative model explaining the evolution of volcanic islands including aspects of volcanic hazards related to explosive eruptions and tsunamis triggered by island flank collapses

Reflection Seismic Investigations In the Volcaniclastic Apron of Gran Canaria and Implications For Its Volcanic Evolution

High-resolution reflection seismic data obtained around Gran Canaria allow a detailed and consistent correlation of seismic reflectors of the northern and southern Canary Basins with the lithology drilled by DSDP Leg 47A SSE of Gran Canaria, as well as with major phases of volcanic activity on Gran Canaria as mapped onshore. Two prominent reflectors were chosen as marker horizons and correlated with the drilled lithology. the results indicate that reflector R7 above the Miocene volcaniclastic debris flows V1-V3 reflects the shield-building phase of Gran Canaria. Reflector R3 is interpreted as corresponding with the Pliocene Roque Nublo formation. The top of the massive island flank of Gran Canaria, defined by seismically chaotic facies, extends 44 to 72 km off the coast of Gran Canaria. West of Gran Canaria the flank of Tenerife onlaps the steeper and older flank of Gran Canaria, which, in turn, is onlapping the older flank of Fuerteventura to the east in a similar way. Erosional channels, which can also be traced up to 50 km from the area between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura into the deeper northern basin, have been identified in the bathymetry. The data presented provide new detailed information for modelling the submarine and subaerial evolution of the central Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, i.e. the timing of their shield-building phases and later stages of major volcanic activity, as reflected by the position of prominent seismic reflectors in the seismic stratigraphy

Submarine landslides around the Canary Islands

The morphology and structure of the submarine flanks of the Canary Islands were mapped using the GLORIA long-range side-scan sonar system, bathymetric multibeam systems, and sediment echosounders. Twelve young (<2 Ma) giant landslides have been identified on the submarine flanks of the Canary Islands up to now. Older landslide events are long buried under a thick sediment cover due to high sedimentation rates around the Canary Islands. Most slides were found on the flanks of the youngest and most active islands of La Palma, El Hierro, and Tenerife, but young giant landslides were also identified on the flanks of the older (15–20 Ma) but still active eastern islands. Large-scale mass wasting is an important process during all periods of major magmatic activity. The long-lived volcanic constructive history of the islands of the Canary Archipelago is balanced by a correspondingly long history of destruction, resulting in a higher landslide frequency for the Canary Islands compared to the Hawaiian Islands, where giant landslides only occur late in the period of active shield growth. The lower stability of the flanks of the Canaries is probably due to the much steeper slopes of the islands, a result of the abundance of highly evolved intrusive and extrusive rocks. Another reason for the enhanced slope instability is the abundance of pyroclastic deposits on Canary Islands resulting from frequent explosive eruptions due to the elevated volatile contents in the highly alkalic magmas. Dike-induced rifting is most likely the main trigger mechanism for destabilization of the flanks. Flank collapses are a major geological hazard for the Canary Islands due to the sector collapses themselves as well as triggering of tsunamis. In at least one case, a giant lateral blast occurred when an active magmatic or hydrothermal system became unroofed during flank collapse