Pico Island

Pico Island (Ilha do Pico, ) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic soils, which nourish its UNESCO-designated vineyards that once allowed the development of the island's economy. Pico is the second largest and, geologically speaking, the most recently formed island of the Azores, being around 300,000 years old.

History

thumb|left|A traditional windmill along the coast of Monte, in the municipality of [[Madalena (Azores)|Madalena]]

thumb|left|[[Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara (São Roque do Pico)|Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara, a 17th-century building]]

The exact date of the island's discovery is not known. However, in the 1375 Catalan Atlas, Pico is depicted along several other islands of the Azores, where it is labelled as li colunbj. In Cristoforo Soligo's map from 1475, Pico is described both as Dom Diniz (or São Diniz) island and as Insula Columbi.

Although the Azores were inhabited since 1439, settlement on Pico only started in the 1480s when Pico became part of the neighboring island of Faial's control. Pico is thought to be the last of the islands of the Central Group to be occupied.

In a letter dated March 28, 1481, the administrator of the Azores, D. Beatriz, gave the possession of the island of Pico to the first captain of the donatarie, D. Álvaro d'Ornelas, a resident of island of Madeira, on the condition that he populate the island ('Captains', often of noble heritage, obtained land rights in regions not important enough to merit a 'governor', and were a cheap way for the state to settle new territory). d'Ornelas failed to attract settlers, so on December 29, 1482, the Flemish captain of the island of Faial, 7 km from Pico, Jós d'Hutra, became the new captain. The transfer of the island of Pico to Jós d'Hutra not only confirms that Pico was not colonized at the end of the 15th century, but also demonstrates the interest in boosting the insular population of the islands of the central group. This was understandable given the growing geo-economic importance of the Azores archipelago at that time, as the Portuguese monarchy was expanding into Morocco and along the west African coast. and Silveira in 1720.

Aside from a few slaves sent to herd sheep in isolation before European settlement, the island's first inhabitants were primarily Portuguese, but of diverse origins. Viticulture, helped by the richer soils found in suitable micro-climates, then grew rapidly. The industry was disturbed by the last volcanic eruptions, but viticulture expanded commercial livelihood opportunities considerably. Pico's famous verdelho wine production, dating back two centuries, was widely appreciated in many countries (including England and in the Americas and even in the palaces of the Russian czars). Viticulture declined with the spread of powdery mildew and phylloxera during the middle of the 19th century, creating a crisis on the island that lasted until the 20th century.

Along the central plain of volcano cones to the eastern coast, the landscape is pitted with the remnants of craters and lake-filled cones, and dominated by the ancient volcano of Topo. Geomorphologically, the island is composed of three units:

Topo Volcano - Located on the southernmost side of the island, it corresponds to an ancient shield volcano created by the overlap of various lava flows and destroyed by erosion and landslides;
Achada Plateau - Extending from the east side of the island to the stratovolcano, the Achada Plateau is an axial zone comprising spatter and lava cones along a mountainous ridge filled with lake-filled craters, dense scrub and forests. Cones in this region are oriented along a west-northwest and south-southeast axis along a path east to west between the other volcanic structures;
Pico Volcano - It occupies the western portion of the island, and corresponds to a central volcano with in altitude, created by numerous Hawaiian and Strombolian eruptions. Along its flanks are diverse lava and spatter cones that are formed along radial fractures and faults.

Pico Island's tectonic structures are generally oriented along a west-northwest to east-southeast and a northeast to southwest axis. The main axis controls the main structures, especially the main mountain of Pico, while the secondary axises affect the radial fractures and faults along the central plain and eastern volcano.

Similar to the geomorphological structures described above, the volcanic landforms have been identified by Madeira (1998) in the following units:

Volcanic Complex of Lajes - pertains to the oldest volcanic structures, comprising volcanoes, lavas and debris that are between 35 and 300,000 thousand years old; it makes up the structures of the eastern part of the island, including the ancient volcano of Topo.
Volcanic Complex of Calheta de Nesquim - dating to about 230,000 thousand years ago, this is a fissural zone of cones and basaltic lavas, associated with the Achada Plain, and the many faults along the central plateau of the island.
Volcanic Complex of Madalena - the most recent volcanic complex, with both geological and historical eruptions; it includes the basaltic stratovolcano of Pico, but also many of the cones, faults and lava fields that circle the 2,351 meter summit.

The last volcanic eruption (which is debatable) occurred in 1963, in a small submarine eruption off the northwest coast (north of Cachorro in Santa Luzia). Prior to this, major volcanic activity was evident in lava fields generated in only the areas of Prainha (1562–64), Santa Luzia (1718), São João (1718) and Silveira (1720). The paths of the lava flows are still visible; those in the 16th century and 1718 were particularly substantial, extending for over 10 km. Today, the only visible evidence of active volcanism appears on the summit of Pico, in the base and interior of the Piqueninho (the mini-peak on the summit); there are irregular emissions from cracks in this zone. Additionally, there are emissions on the eastern flanks between 1500 and 2000 meters altitude. There have also been found areas of de-gasification along the fault associated with the Lagoa do Capitão and another in the Topo Volcano, as well as a spring rich in in the area of Silveira.

Earthquakes

Pico, much like the other islands, is susceptible to seismic events, although their epicenters have primarily been localized in the Faial-Pico or Pico-São Jorge Channels. Only three significant tectonic earthquakes have hit the island of Pico since the beginning of settlement: The 1757 earthquake, which caused significant damage in the eastern region of the island including the death of 11 people and the collapse of a church and a few houses; the 1973 seismic crisis (October 1973 – May 1974) in which the main earthquake (with magnitude 5.5) did considerable damage to 604 houses in Faial and 2,000 in Pico, which left nearly 5,000 people homeless;

Like the remaining islands of the Azores, Pico suffered extensive deforestation following its occupation. While some land, especially at the coast, was used for housing, the majority was and is still used for farming, livestock and the wood industry (of Cryptomeria). Additionally, several introductions of exotic species in the 19th century, like Hydrangea macrophylla, Pittosporum undulatum, Hedychium gardnerianum and Psidium cattleyanum, resulted in invasion and destruction of the remaining native habitats.

Gaspar Frutuoso gave a brief description of the island's flora only a century after being occupied:

Over a third of the Natura 2000 protected areas of the Azores are located on Pico. It has also the largest number of volcanic cavities (lava caves) of anywhere in the archipelago, 86 out of 225.

Climate

thumb|The climate on the highlands of Pico is characterized by cool temperatures and extreme humidity. The photo shows the few [[Azores junipers that remain near the shores of Lagoa do Capitão]]

Pico, like the other islands in the archipelago, has a mild maritime climate with high precipitation and high humidity for most of the year. However, due to its distinctive topographic variation, temperature and precipitation levels vary significantly depending on altitude and location, with rainfall generally more concentrated in the east. Temperatures fluctuate by approximately 8°C (14.4°F) between the coolest month, February, and the warmest month, August.

At lower elevations, where most of the population resides, Pico has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa; Thornthwaite: B) with mild, rainy winters (mean around ) and warm, noticeably drier summers, (mean around ) although generally not dry enough to be classified as Mediterranean. Because of its high relative humidity (around 80%), summers can feel slightly warmer than they really are.

At higher elevations, like the Achada Plateau, temperatures are cooler and precipitation increases, it therefore transitions into a wet oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Thornthwaite: A), average relative humidity stays around 90% and although there are no climatic stations at Mount Pico, it is likely that the island has also experienced the lowest temperatures in the archipelago at the top of the mountain.

Human geography

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Geological, geomorphological and climatic constraints played (and still have) a determining role in economic activity, in the distribution of urban agglomerations and in demographic evolution. The settlement pattern is a good example of adaptation to the specific physical geography of this island, developing mainly along the coast and along the roads of communication. The main urban centers, municipality seats, are located by the sea: Madalena, São Roque do Pico and Lajes do Pico.

Sustainable tourism

In 2012, Pico received the QualityCoast Gold Award for its efforts to become a sustainable tourism destination. Because of this award, Pico was selected for inclusion in the global atlas for sustainable tourism DestiNet.

Notable people

thumb|140px|Jose Vieira Alvernaz

José da Costa Nunes (1880 in Candelaria do Pico – 1976) a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Macau, 1920-1940 and Patriarch of the East Indies, 1940–1953.
José Vieira Alvernaz (1898 in Ribeirinha - 1986) a Portuguese prelate, Bishop of Cochin, Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies.
Arquimínio Rodrigues da Costa (1924 in São Mateus – 2016) a prelate of the Catholic Church, Bishop of the Diocese of Macau, 1976–1988.
Fernando Machado Soares (1930 in São Roque do Pico – 2014) a fado singer, poet, composer, jurist and retired judge.
Caesar DePaço (born 1965 in Madalena) a businessman and former consul for both Portugal and Cape Verde.
Duarte Freitas (born 1966 in São Roque do Pico) a politician and former Member of the European Parliament.

Gallery

São Roque do Pico - panoramio (11).jpg|Black sand beach of Canto da Areia

Lagoa dos Grotões, concelho da Lajes do Pico, ilha do Pico, Açores, Portugal.JPG|Grotões Pond

Museu do Vinho do Pico, Dragoeiros com idades estimadas entre 500 e 1000 anos, 5 Lagido da Madalena, Concelho da Madalena, ilha do Pico, Açores, Portugal.JPG|Old Dracaena draco near Pico's Wine Museum

Paisagem Protegida de Interesse Regional da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico, campos de vinha, Madalena do Pico, ilha do Pico, Açores.JPG|Pico IPR

History

Earthquakes

Climate

Human geography

Sustainable tourism

Notable people

Gallery

See also

References

Notes

Sources

External links