Geological Summary. Madeira Island is the emergent top of a massive shield volcano that rises about 6 km from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean and forms the largest island of the Madeira Archipelago, about 90 km in length.
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Madeira is part of massive underwater shield volcano in the Atlantic Ocean, of which the island is just the highest point. Formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, the island has seen volcanic activity as recently as 6,500 years ago, but today is considered to be dormant and unlikely to erupt.
Our study confirms that Madeira's subaerial shield volcano was built upon the eroded remains of an uplifted seamount, with shallow marine sediments found between the two eruptive sequences and presently located at 320–430 m above sea level.
Madeira was formed in many volcanic phases which are why the crater is no longer found today. Remains found in some areas of the interior of the island such as pyroclastic rocks of basaltic material demonstrate the phases of eruption.
Madeira Island is actually home to over 25 miles of secret tunnels built into the cliffs and mountains. Said to be constructed in the 16th century right through until construction ended in the 1940s, they were built to help maintain the hundreds of miles of aqueducts across the island.
On March 4th, 1930, a sector of the Cape Girão cliff, located in the southern shore of Madeira Island, collapsed into the sea and generated an 8 m tsunami wave height.
To achieve this, we use the prime example of Madeira, a volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean highly vulnerable to cliff-failure. Particularly, we explore the March 4th, 1930 Cabo Girão event that triggered a deadly tsunami.
The favorable climate of the island also contributed to the land thrive, and wheat production has become one of the greatest wealth of the island. This cereal was exported on a large scale for the Portuguese possessions on the African coast, giving thus the first cycle of Madeira economic history.
Madeira is boasting some of the most accessible biodiversity. It is known for its lush forests, gardens, and parks, which give the island a tropical feel. As a result of the mild temperatures here all year long, a range of exotic plants and herbs can be found in the gardens.
ELECTRICITY AND WATERThe electric current in the archipelago is 220 volts. There is plenty of water in Madeira and it is all drinkable and of excellent quality.
Briefly, we can say that on Madeira Island, the most frequent hazards have essentially been flash floods in the autumn and winter and forest fires in the summer.
In reality, the Laurel forest which occupies about 20% of the island, and where most Levadas/hikes go across, is not very sensitive to the dry months and it is kept lush and green by the fogs and humidity that typically occur in the region, any time of the year. Same applies to most of the North Coast.
Many emigrated illegally to escape military service and avoid the wars in the colonies (Angola and Mozambique), and also because they could not afford the high cost of the emigration process by legal means.
The island's rugged topography is fundamental for the constant formation of perfect, clean and big waves that have made Madeira's surf spots famous on the international surf circuit.
Calheta Beach is one of the island of Madeira's few yellow sandy beaches. A peaceful swimming experience is guaranteed by two piers, so you can exercise in the sea all year round. Ribeira do Natal Beach enjoys properties that make it one of the best places for swimming. The transparency of its waters is remarkable.
The report claimed that “during a future eruption” the volcano “may experience a catastrophic flank collapse”. The paper suggested that this could create waves capable of transiting “the entire Atlantic Basin and arrive on the coasts of the Americas with 10-25 m (3-8 m) height”.
Locally with an expressive geomorphological degraded scarp, is running parallel to the elongation of the island, and has the maximum extension of 56 km. It corresponds to a major dextral fault with a northern collapse, confirmed by several field observations.
The average standard of living tends to be a bit lower than in mainland Portugal, and the local autonomous government gives generous subsidies coming from the tourist industry revenues and from the Portuguese national budget. Go where the locals go and everything will be cheap.
Lying over 500 kilometers from the African coast, Madeira – about half the size of Hertfordshire – was simply too far over rough seas for land animals to make the crossing, even haphazardly. The total absence of land mammals allowed the Trocaz pigeon to become the royalty of Madeira.
Madeira is located on the eastern coast of Atlantic Ocean, about 600 km distant from Maroko and 1000 km from Portugal. Even though Madeira is closer to Africa than it is to Europe, it belongs to Portugal as one of its two autonomous regions.