Mount Pico
Mount Pico (Portuguese: Montanha do Pico) is a composite volcano (or stratovolcano); it is the highest point of the Portuguese island of Pico in the Azores. With an altitude of 2,351 m (7,713 ft) above sea level, it is more than twice the elevation of any other peak in the Azores, and the tallest mountain in Portugal.
 | |
| Elevation | 2,351 m (7,713 ft)[1] |
|---|---|
| Parent peak | None |
| Location | |
| Location |  Azores,  Portugal |
| Range | Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
| Geology | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Age of rock | < 230,000 Years |
| Last eruption | 1718 |
Description
Mount Pico is at the eastern end of Pico Island. On the top of the mountain, there is round crater about 500 m (1,600 ft) in diameter and 300 m (980 ft) deep. Inside this crater (Portuguese: Pico Alto) there is a small elevation produced by a recent, in geological terms, eruption that is known with the name of Pico Pequeno or Piquinho, which is about 70 metres (230 ft) high.[2] From the base of Pico Pequeno, volcanic smoke gets out with a strong odor of sulfur.
In winter, the top of the mountain is covered with snow. Rains are frequent the whole year.
Reserve and hiking
Mount Pico was made a Natural Reserve in 1982 to protect the mountain. The reserve (Portuguese: Reserva Natural da Montanha do Pico) has an area of about 1,500 hectares (15 km2) and is from about 1,200 m (3,937 ft) high to the top of the mountain.[3]
There are trails for hiking and it is possible, for persons in good conditions and depending on weather, to get to the top of the mountain in around two to four hours from the beginning of the trail.
In the lower part of its slopes is the Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico (Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture), classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage.[4]
Mount Pico Media
The observatory station in 2007
Snow on the mountain peak in early 2006.
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References
- ↑ Error: no vnum specified when using {{cite gvp}}
- ↑ Rádio Pico – Informação turística Archive
- ↑ "Diploma da criação do Parque Natural da Ilha do Pico". SIDDAMB. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2013.[dead link]
- ↑ "Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.