Write an essay which explains how society has been or could be affected by geolo
ID: 236491 • Letter: W
Question
Write an essay which explains how society has been or could be affected by geological processes at 37.86 degree N 25.795 degree W (copy and paste these coordinates in the 'Fly to' field of Google Earth). Begin your essay by stating the location of your study area and outlining the structure of your essay. Describe the plate tectonic stetting of your study area (e.g. plate or plate boundary, plate name/s, type of boundary). Describe the regional geology of your study area (e.g. main rock type/s, geological structures). Describe any geological resources (e.g. fossil fuels, building materials, ores, and gemstones) and hazards (e.g. volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides) which could affect your study area. Conclude your essay with a bullet point summary of your findings.Explanation / Answer
The coordinates correspond to Sete Cidades Massif, which is a stratovolcanic complex, referring to a polygenetic volcano and caldera, located in western part of the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island is located at the heart of the Atlantic Ocean which is occupied by Portugal and the location is westward from the center of the island. This island is most recognizable for the Lagoa das Sete Cidades at its center, this volcanic complex includes centuries of geomorphological structures that include lava domes, cones, lava flows, and maar geomorphology that have marked its history.
Its location is upon the Mid-Atlantic ridge (the Azores Platform) with mainly suiting a temperate plus Mediterranean environment supporting Alkali basalt, Tephra, Trachyte, Trachybasalt types. The almost circular caldera is a nested structure formed as a result of three separate caldera collapse episodes, each associated with explosive eruptions. These caldera collapse episodes occurred following explosive eruptions that formed the Risco, Bretanha and Santa Barbara pyroclastic fields. The Sete Cidades Massif occupies the northwestern portion of the island and corresponds to a circular central caldera 6 by 5 kilometers (3.7 mi × 3.1 mi), whose interior is occupied by various lakes and volcanic cones of pumice, lava domes, and maars.
The given location lies about mid-way to two now-dormant volcanoes – the Caldeira do Alferes and the Caldeira Seca, and the Lagoa Azul which is intersected at the Lagoa das Sete Cidades.
The volcano of Sete Cidades is distinguished by two stratigraphic layers:
The inferior group includes the oldest deposits associated with subaerial eruptions occurring more than 200,000 years B.C. This period of activity was essentially effusive producing basalt lava flows of trachyte.
The superior layer includes the eruptive products of eruptions occurring 36,000 years B.C., resulting in the first formation of the primary monogenic cone. This group is marked by six formative phases resulting from the explosive debris of trachyte materials, including pyroclastic bombs and flows, some resulting from hydro magmatic forces.
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