Tajogaite 2021: geoheritage or hated geoheritage?

The Tajogaite eruption marked a turning point in the eruptions of La Palma and the Canary Islands. «It generated profound negative impacts on the community, but also an important geovolcanic heritage for geotourism» (Dóniz et al., 2023). The last eruptive events still fresh in the population’s memor...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: González Cárdenas, Elena, Becerra Ramírez, Rafael, Escobar Lahoz, Estela, Gosálvez Rey, Rafael Ubaldo, Moreno Nevado, Margarita
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/45456
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/10578/45456
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Geografía
Geoheritage
Tajogaite
Descrição
Resumo:The Tajogaite eruption marked a turning point in the eruptions of La Palma and the Canary Islands. «It generated profound negative impacts on the community, but also an important geovolcanic heritage for geotourism» (Dóniz et al., 2023). The last eruptive events still fresh in the population’s memory, in Tenerife (1909), El Hierro (2012), and La Palma (1949-1971), caused minor damage to the environment and even provided an incentive to the economy, motivated by the tourist flow generated, especially evident in the eruption of Teneguía. In the eruptive fissure that gave rise to the Tajogaite volcanic edifice, the explosive eruption did emit a significant amount of pyroclasts —bombs, lapilli and ash— that seriously damaged the tree vegetation on the western slope of part of Cumbre Vieja and buried a large urban area, resulting in the collapse of homes and industrial and service buildings of all kinds; as well as a high emission of lava flows that advanced unstoppably towards the ocean, destroying residential, industrial and service urban spaces. Populated areas such as El Corazoncillo, El Paraíso, Alcalá, Tajuya, Las Norias, Las Salgadas, La Condesa, Todoque, etc. have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by lava flow, which in some places have reached 60 meters high. 3,026 buildings were damaged, and 370 hectares of farmlands (banana plantation were devastated. 7,000 people were evacuated, and a random accident while removing ash from a roof caused one death. However, the destruction of Las Manchas cemetery was the shock that unleashed the deepest hatred toward the volcano. In 2025, 200 residents of La Palma are still living in prefabricated homes.