Canary hotspot

The Canary hotspot is marked 18 on map

The Canary hotspot, also called the Canarian hotspot, is a volcanic hotspot believed to be located at the Canary Islands off the north-western coast of Africa, although alternative theories to explain the volcanism there exist. The Canary hotspot is believed to be underlain by a mantle plume that is relatively deep. It is believed to have first appeared about 60 million years ago.

Recent activity

From July to September 2011, the Canarian island of El Hierro experienced thousands of small tremors, believed to be the result of magma movements beneath the island. This resulted in fears of an imminent volcanic eruption, which began October 10th, 2011, approximately 1km south of the island in a fissure on the floor of the ocean and is continuing with the possibility that a new island will form or an existing island become larger.

See also

• Surtsey