The Mountain Ranges
Fuerteventura was the first of the canary islands to be born from volcanic eruptions, the island was once split into two parts with the Jandia peninsula being born first from a massive underwater eruption of the oceans crust due to the compression of the Atlantic plate.The first crop of volcanic mountains date back some 17 million years and form the basal complex or the Betancuria massif.
The first cycle of eruptions lasted between 12 and 17 million years, and the second eruptions that formed the ''malapaises'' or the bad lands around La Oliva and the northern end of the island between 5 million and 10,000years.
The Isolate de Lobos was born about the same time as the ''malapaises''.
The sands that have blown in from the Sahara have filled in the gap between the two parts and became the dunes of the Jandia peninsula and formed the island.
The volcanoes are no longer active and have been eroded by the winds for a very long time but they are still of some interest.
There are many smaller cinder cones around the main volcanoes and you can see where the rivers used to run down the mountains as they have left well formed groves and gulley's.
Although water is in short supply on the island there are a few places where you can see natural water pools though these are very protected by the natives on the island.
All though the island is very arid there are some places that are lush with vegetation and some of these places are in the mountains where the water runs down and because of the minerals in the ground surrounding the rocks they are thriving.
In the bad lands of the'' malapaises''you will find lava flows that look a greeny blue tumbling down some of the mountains these are the most recent eruptions you find them around La Oliva and on the way to El Cotillo.
The first cycle of eruptions lasted between 12 and 17 million years, and the second eruptions that formed the ''malapaises'' or the bad lands around La Oliva and the northern end of the island between 5 million and 10,000years.
The Isolate de Lobos was born about the same time as the ''malapaises''.
The sands that have blown in from the Sahara have filled in the gap between the two parts and became the dunes of the Jandia peninsula and formed the island.
The volcanoes are no longer active and have been eroded by the winds for a very long time but they are still of some interest.
There are many smaller cinder cones around the main volcanoes and you can see where the rivers used to run down the mountains as they have left well formed groves and gulley's.
Although water is in short supply on the island there are a few places where you can see natural water pools though these are very protected by the natives on the island.
All though the island is very arid there are some places that are lush with vegetation and some of these places are in the mountains where the water runs down and because of the minerals in the ground surrounding the rocks they are thriving.
In the bad lands of the'' malapaises''you will find lava flows that look a greeny blue tumbling down some of the mountains these are the most recent eruptions you find them around La Oliva and on the way to El Cotillo.
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