REUNION ISLAND, VOLCANIC ISLAND: PRESENTATION · Jan 4, 08:14 PM
It is an entirely volcanic island located in the Indian Ocean by 21º7’ of latitude and 55º32’ of longitude, with 800km from the coasts of Madagascar.
With the islands Rodrigue and Mauritius, it belongs to the archipelago of Mascareignes.
Its geomorphology is like a double cone made up of two volcanoes:
The “Piton des Neiges” in the North-West, extinguished, which culminates with 3069m
and the “Piton de la Fournaise” in South-east, 2631m tall, which is one of the most active volcanoes of the world with almost one eruption per year !
Its cone is prolonged until 4000m depth under the ocean and down there, the surface of the volcanic building is three times larger than at the sea level, so, a diameter of 200km!
The Piton des Neiges massif
It recovers two thirds of the Reunion Island.
It is a regular cone with weak slopes (10%) on the top: the Piton des Neiges (3069m), dominates three enormous circular excavations with the abrupt walls of more than 100m top.
They are the “circuses”: of Salazie, Cilaos and Mafate.
The Piton de la Fournaise
This active volcano occupies the third south-eastern of the island.
Its many eruptions are
Hawaiian or Strombolian style
Being generally located in the Enclos Fouqué,
its eruptions are more spectacular than dangerous, and if they can cause property damages, the lava flows never made victims.
Bamboo
— Randy Explorer
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