The Alien Magic of Timanfaya

albumeditions
18 aug
4 minuten om te lezen

Bijgewerkt op: 1 sep

No science fiction, this landscape is real!

Location: Lanzarote - Canary Islands - March 2025

The volcanic landscape in the southwest of Lanzarote feels otherworldly. The slopes of the volcanoes resemble glowing waves of lava frozen in time, shimmering black in color, interspersed with ash grey, soft orange , and crimson red hues.

The Canary Island of Lanzarote is located in the Atlantic Ocean, 115 kilometers off the west coast of Africa, at the latitude of the border between Morocco and Western Sahara. Like the other Canary Islands, Lanzarote was formed by volcanic activity. The island, now covering an area of 845 km2, originated as a large shield volcano, most of which lies beneath sea level. Over 15 million years ago, Lanzarote first emerged above the ocean waves.

Over time, massive eruptions occurred across the island, shaping the present-day landscape with more than 100 large an small volcanic cones.

The most significant eruptions in recent history began in 1730, when the earth cracked open in the southwest of Lanzarote, and the village Timanfaya was buried beneath the flowing lava.

The Caldera Corazoncillo crater, which erupted in 1730, is surrounded by a black carpet of solidified lava flows that remind us of the immense force through which this natural environment was formed. Try to find the car to get a sense of the scale.

"On September 1st, 1730, between nine and ten in the evening, th earth suddenly opened up near Timanfaya, two miles from Yaiza. That night, a huge mountain rose from the depths of the earth, and flames burst from its summit, burning for nineteen days".

"A few days later, a new chasm formed, and lava poured over Timanfaya, Rodeo, and part of Mancha Blanca".

"On September 11th, another eruption occurred, more powerful than before, and lava began to flow. From Santa Catalina, the molten stream descended on Mazo, setting the village on fire, covering it completely, and continuing its path towards the sea".

These are a few excerpts from the eyewitness account recorded by Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, pastor of the church in Yaiza.

"On January 10th, 1731, we saw a massive mountain rise, which, on the same day, collapsed into its own crater with a terrifying roar, covering the island in ash and stones. The burning lava flowed like rivers over fertile farmland toward the sea. On the 27th, the eruption ceased".

"On December 25th, 1731, the island was struck by earthquakes - the strongest in the two disastrous years that had just passed. On December 28th, lava erupted from a cone and flowed towards the village of Jaretas. The village burned, and the chapel of San Juan Bautista, near Yaiza, was destroyed."

After six years of nearly continuous eruptions, ten villages were buried beneath lava, thirty craters formed, and nearly 200 square kilometers of fertile farmland were destroyed.

A second series of eruptions followed in 1824, lasting 3 months in the same area. Since then, no new eruptions have been recorded.

According to historic chronicles, the Mazo crater was formed during an eruption in 1731. The cone partially collapsed, followed by a heavy ash fall.

This extreme natural violence left behind a desolate landscape, which remained largely uninhabited. Due to the fragility of the environment and the presence of lava tunnels* (posing a risk of collapse), the area was designated a national park in the mid-1970's. It was named after the village first destroyed by a rising crater in 1730: Timanfaya.

Walking through this otherworldly setting of solidified lava fields and yawning craters is an incredible experience. With a high sought-after permit, we were able to visit a restricted part of the park, accompanied by a guide.

The volcanic slopes appear frozen in time like glowing lava waves, colored in glistening black interspersed with ash-grey, soft orange, and deep crimson hues. Standing amidst the remnant of such raw, primal force, one cannot help but feel small.

The 406-meter-high volcano Montaña de las Nueces is one of the last craters formed during the eruption cycle between 1730 and 1736.

The sun reflects off the rust-colored slopes of these gaping volcanic craters.

With a permit, only 16 visitors per day are allowed into the restricted area of Timanfaya National Park. Led by a guide, you walk through this desolate volcanic landscape.

During the volcanic eruptions of 1730-1736 and 1824, more than a quarter of the island was buried under lava, destroying ten villages and large areas of fertile farmland.

Although all craters have been dormant since 1824, hellish forces still stir beneath the surface. In some places heat is still perceptible at ground level - just 10 meters below the surface, temperatures reach up to 600°C.

A fiery underworld, quietly waiting for its moment...?

At Islote de Hilario, a high lookout point im Timanfaya National Park, the temperature just a few centimeters below the surface reaches 140°C (284°F). When you throw straw into a hole in the ground, it ignites instantly due to the extreme heat.

Due to the landscape's striking resemblance, a visit to Timanfaya National Park feels like a journey to Mars. Is that why the American space agency NASA trains potential astronauts here for future missions to the Red Planet?

*Lava tunnels

At 609 meters high, Monte Corona is the largest volcano in the northern part of Lanzarote. During its first eruption 21,000 years ago, a massive lava flow spread across the northern region of the island, reaching all the way to the sea. This eruption also created an extensive system of lava tubes stretching for kilometers.

A lava tube forms when the upper layer of a lava flow cools, solidifies, and creates a hard crust. The hot lava beneath continuous to flow. After the eruption ends, the molten lava drains away, leaving an empty tunnel behind.

During the eruptions of Monte Corona, this process repeated itself multiple times, resulting in tunnels forming on top of each other. One of the tubes even extends 1.5 kilometer beneath the seabed.

Part of the tunnel system near Monte Corona is accessible and offers a unique opportunity to experience the power and dynamics of volcanic processes up close. We walk through the bowels of planet Earth...