ENGLISH VERSION
PORÍS DE CANDELARIA [ENG]
Porís de Candelaria is a small fishing village located inside a gigantic cave under an impressive cliff by the sea. Poris means pier or natural harbor and in it is the Virgin of Candelaria. It belongs to the municipality of Tijarafe.
Tijarafe is a Canarian municipality located northwest of the island of La Palma. The coast, steep and difficult to access, has an approximate length of 11.5 km, which is 9.3% of the total perimeter of the island.
The orography of the territory is very steep and rugged with a continuous slope from the summit to the sea, cut by a multitude of ravines. The slope is smoothed between 400 and 800 meters, an altitude at which most of the population of the various entities is located. The coastal part is cut in the final section of the ravines and ends in an almost linear cliff about 200 meters high.
Origin
Geologically speaking, we are facing one of the oldest areas of the island of La Palma. Lava comes from Caldera de Taburiente which was formed 2 million years ago. Like all calderas and shield volcanoes, its origin is in the existence of a relatively large crater with lava that when cooled produces basaltic rocks. Caldera eruptions are relatively calm, in the Hawaiian type, and lava often forms successive flows that enlarge the volcano more in surface area than in height.
What is basalt?
The most common variety of rock produced by magma is basalt. Basalt is a volcanic igneous rock that is characterized by a dark color, a product of its high content of iron and magnesium. It consists mainly of metal oxides such as iron oxide, silicon oxide and magnesium oxide, among others. Small phenocrysts may be present in its composition, although it is also present in the form of a crystal without or with very few crystals visibly. It has a high hardness (8 on the Mohs scale) and easy handling, in terms of its operation. Due to its physical-mechanical characteristics, it is an ideal material for construction, for coatings and exterior pavements, even those with heavy traffic (cobblestones, standard parts, etc.). It is also used as a decorative element for its aesthetics and can be treated in shape, cut, mold and color. Unusually it is also used in spa treatments such as massages.
Basalt is naturally found as large columns and, depending on its location and formation, some peculiar shapes of the basalt can be derived, such as basaltic arches or basaltic prisms.
Abrasion platform
In the lower part of the cliffs there is the so-called abrasion platform, very worn remains of the continent where we find large rocks collapsed from the cliff on which the continuous action of marine erosion turns them into sands (which transported by the current, will end forming beaches, coastal dunes…).
Indications
To go from the recommended parking to the coordinates of the earthcache, you have a walk of about 15 minutes. Be careful as the road to the car park is very narrow, sloping and winding. If the parking is full, you have a couple of parking areas above.
There is low mobile coverage in the area, keep that in mind! If you are in a hurry, better leave it for another moment because it is a place to go calmly and be able to enjoy the place.
To register this earthcache, you will need to go to the coordinates and send us an email (you can send it from our profile) with the answers to the following questions. We will only contact you if there is a problem with any answer.
1.- Where do the lavas we are stepping on come from?
A. Cumbre Vieja Volcano
B. Caldera de Taburiente
C. Teneguía Volcano
D. Croscat Volcano
2.- Which is the hardness of basalt on the Mohs scale?
3.- Observe the lower part of the cliff. Can you see collapsed rocks accumulating on the abrasion platform? If so, what do you think they are due to?
4.- Observe the walls on the cliff above the cave. Different layers can be observed. Why?
5.- Take a PHOTO with your GPS and/or your nickname at the Porís de Candelaria pier with the ocean in the background. From this point you can see the silhouette of La Palma island as you can see in the first image of the listing. Remember that this photography is obligatory to show that you have visited this earthcache.
If we do not receive the answers, the log will be deleted without notice.
All logs that do not include the photo of the question 6 may be deleted (from the update of the 2019 guidelines, photography may be obligatory to demonstrate that the site has been visited).
