metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 2, 2017 16:57:03 GMT -5
La Palma, the western-most of the Canary Islands, politically belonging to Spain, located off the west coast of Africa We were just there for our Christmas break. Composed of a mountain chain of volcanos from 3 ma to just 45 years old, it bestows the title of the world's steepest island upon itself. Generally it is a stack of basalts, some pipes, dykes, olivine basalts, lhertzolites, dunites, pahoehoe, aa, lapilli and scoria. The tourists even have to put up with black sand beaches. In some parts it is green and colonised by laurisilva forest; at the top of the mountain, only Canary Island Pine trees survive; other parts remain bare basalt flows or lapilli deserts. So this landscape of black,brown and more black, this rock stuck out like a sore thumb. White with olive green; it appears to be quartz, but not olivine - the two are just about mutually exclusive (and let me know if you do find them together ever!) La Palma - what?! Cobble I found on the beach, brought back, sliced and shown 'polished' with a 600#, maybe not all the way, but enough to show what's what. Any ideas? Other pictures of La-Palma for interest: Surfing on a bed of black basalt lava flow from the mid 1800's, Pahoehoe and Aa lava abound in front of the new Centro de Visitantes, Todoque Lava Tube - wasn't even open yet. Twisted Canary Pine growing on rocks near Pico de la Cruz around 2400m ASL, surrounded by Dunite browns of oxidised olivines. The endemic (found only there) La Palma Lizard, Gallotia galloti la palma - mature male blue-throat - at Mirador de la Cumbre View into the Caldera de Taburiente Moorish Gecko That's all for now ... enjoy! [/a]
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Jan 2, 2017 21:17:35 GMT -5
Thanks for taking me along! I love to get to go where I will never get to go...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 22:05:38 GMT -5
Nice job all around. Uncommon reptile included.
Thanks!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 3, 2017 2:42:54 GMT -5
Nice job all around. Uncommon reptile included. Thanks! Thanks - we find these at a Mirador - a view point. Everyone else is looking at the view. We're on the other side of the viewpoint, looking back at the walls! There are probably mutterings about the 'special family' ... The Moorish Gecko is another thing all together. Frequently solitary, dark and inhabiting shady cracks in black rocks they're difficult to find. Luckily I've brought my young 'uns up to be sharp eyed and appreciate all the things that others just walk past.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 3, 2017 11:23:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the tour..........Beautiful Island in itself!!
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 3, 2017 16:54:02 GMT -5
Shame about the new basalt. In a few hundred million years, those gas bubbles and cavities may be filled with amazing crystals forming from hydrothermal solutions. What is the elevation on the caldera photo? The air appears to be getting a little thin looking down on the clouds.
Darryl.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 3, 2017 17:53:43 GMT -5
Shame about the new basalt. In a few hundred million years, those gas bubbles and cavities may be filled with amazing crystals forming from hydrothermal solutions. What is the elevation on the caldera photo? The air appears to be getting a little thin looking down on the clouds. Darryl. Yeah, about 2420m ASL - apparently the air has only 75% of sea level equivalent vol oxygen. Temps were down to zero in the shade from around 20C at SL before wind-chill. We parked the car and walked about 6k around the rim then the family hid from the wind in the rocks and I jogged back for the car and drove around to the pick up point.
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Post by accidentalrockhound on Jan 4, 2017 1:40:38 GMT -5
What a really nice trip amazing pictures thank you!
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Jan 4, 2017 2:16:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the trip pictures, rugged place with lots to see. Surprising to us how many people comment on some areas being so boring to have to cross; they never slow down enough to see all the natural beauty.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 17:00:21 GMT -5
Thanks for the trip pictures, rugged place with lots to see. Surprising to us how many people comment on some areas being so boring to have to cross; they never slow down enough to see all the natural beauty. Back at work this week I overheard someone saying they'd been to the next island (the slightly more well known) Tenerife ... and said they found the week boring! A week! I was gob-smacked. I reckon I could run around there for a year of sundays and still find things to do.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 6, 2017 1:24:50 GMT -5
Shame about the new basalt. In a few hundred million years, those gas bubbles and cavities may be filled with amazing crystals forming from hydrothermal solutions. What is the elevation on the caldera photo? The air appears to be getting a little thin looking down on the clouds. Darryl. Yeah, about 2420m ASL - apparently the air has only 75% of sea level equivalent vol oxygen. Temps were down to zero in the shade from around 20C at SL before wind-chill. We parked the car and walked about 6k around the rim then the family hid from the wind in the rocks and I jogged back for the car and drove around to the pick up point. I'll put a few more photos up at my flickr - warning those not wanting to see lizards in distress look away @shotgunner - surprised to find abundant lizards even up here with shade temps @ to well below freezing.
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