Montaña Blanca

Formation

The Montaña Blanca is a flank volcano of the Pico del Teide, whose name is due to the beige color of the light-colored pumice on its surface. It was created by volcanic processes that took place around 50 BC, in three phases. Initially, phonolitic lava with a volume of about 0.022 km³ emerged from a west-northwest-east-southeast trending eruption fissure system on the east flank of the Pico del Teide. The eruption then transitioned into an explosive sub-Plinian phase, measuring magnitude 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Within 7 to 11 hours, phonolitic pumice and ash (approximately 0.25 km³ DRE) descended from a 15 km high eruptive column in a northeasterly direction and covered an area of at least 40 km². In the third phase, about 0.025 km³ of lava came out, and today's lava dome was formed. The Montaña Blanca subplinian eruption is the only known explosive eruption in the Pico del Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex.