The 47-km-long wedge-shaped island of La Palma, the NW-most of the Canary Islands, is composed of two large volcanic centers. The older 2426-m-high northern one is cut by the massive steep-walled Caldera Taburiente, one of several massive collapse scarps produced by edifice failure to the SW. The younger 1949-m- high Cumbre Vieja, the southern volcano, is one of the most active in the Canaries. The elongated volcano dates back to about 125,000 years ago and is oriented N-S. Eruptions during the past 7000 years have originated from the abundant cinder cones and craters along the axis of Cumbre Vieja, producing fissure-fed lava flows that descend steeply to the sea. Historical eruptions at La Palma, recorded since the 15th century, have produced mild explosive activity and lava flows that damaged populated areas. The southern tip of the island is mantled by a broad lava field produced during the 1677-1678 eruption. Lava flows also reached the sea in1585, 1646, 1712, 1949 and 1971.                                                                                                                During the 1949 eruption (Jun 24 till Jul 30), three vents-Duraznero, San Juan, and Hoyo Negro- opened and lava flowed from those. Two earthquakes also occurred during the eruption. Following the earthquakes a fracture approximately two and half kilometres long opened and parts of the western half of the Cumbre Vieja ridge moved about 1 metre sideways and 2 metres downwards towards the Atlantic Ocean. The fracture is still visible and still has the same dimensions recorded in 1949. La Palma San Juan Eruption 1949 Location: 28.602° N, 17.854° W Elevation:  1.285 m La Palma, Febr. 2002                 click on pictures to enlarge