Tenerife Marks 116 Years Since Chinyero Volcano's Last Eruption

As seismic activity continues between Gran Canaria and Tenerife, it's been 116 years since the Chinyero volcano erupted, a significant event in the island's recent history.

On the afternoon of November 18, 1909, the ground split open in the northwest of Tenerife, marking the island's last volcanic eruption to date. The eruption lasted for eleven days.

Earlier that year, persistent small earthquakes had caused worry in the local villages. Finally, the island's interior released lava and ash. The eruption occurred in the Dorsal de Abeque area, between the towns of Santiago del Teide, El Tanque, and Icod de los Vinos. This Strombolian eruption left a lasting impact on the landscape, scientific understanding, and collective memory.

The constant rumbling before the eruption terrified residents.

News of the eruption spread quickly through local and national media, even reaching Europe.

Given the scale of the event, the government sent geologist Lucas Fernández Navarro from the University of Madrid to study it. His detailed report captured the magnitude of the eruption.

The report was published in the "Annals of the Board for the Extension of Scientific Studies and Research," a key institution for scientific advancement in Spain at the time.

Fernández Navarro's account noted: "In mid-November 1909, newspapers reported a volcanic eruption, apparently of great importance, on the island of Tenerife... It was an interesting natural phenomenon taking place on Spanish territory, and it was necessary to observe and study it."

The eruption created a fissure about 2.5 kilometers long with at least nine active vents.

Within days, the activity focused on two main vents, releasing lava flows that moved southwest.

"The activity remained almost constant, except for a resurgence on the 26th, as if the volcano made a final effort before ending the eruption," Fernández Navarro observed.

The lava flows traveled several kilometers, covering pine forests, scrubland, and farmland. Fortunately, no towns were destroyed, and there were no fatalities. Fernández Navarro commented, "The duration of the phenomenon has therefore been very short, which has probably been the case in the formation of all the volcanic mountains on the Island."

While the lava flows approached villages like Valle de Arriba, Las Manchas, and El Tanque, no lives were lost. However, there was damage to farms and rural infrastructure, and some people were evacuated as a precaution.

The Chinyero eruption was the first in the Canary Islands to be extensively covered by local, national, and international press, and it was also the first to be filmed.

In an era without modern communication, carrier pigeons were used to relay updates on the eruption's progress.

Information was sent from nearby villages to Santa Cruz, where local media provided regular updates.

In 1994, Chinyero and its surroundings were designated a Protected Landscape, and in 2007, they became part of the Corona Forestal Natural Park.

The solidified lava flows, cinder cones, and volcanic deposits remain largely untouched, a geological record of an eruption that released nearly 12 million cubic meters of lava.

Scientists at the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) continue to study the resulting landscape, highlighting its importance as a reference for recent eruptions on an island with high volcanic risk, though eruptions are infrequent. Meanwhile, the municipalities of Santiago del Teide and Guía de Isora hold annual commemorations with cultural, religious, and educational events. This week includes talks, plays, and concerts.

This year's commemoration of the 116th anniversary features a procession starting from the church of Santa Ana in Tamaimo, with stops at the chapels of Virgen del Pilar and Calvario of Las Manchas. Historical accounts describe residents walking nearly eight kilometers to this village, carrying religious images, to pray at the lava flows.

In Guía de Isora, prayers were led by the Virgen de la Luz. The eruption ceased a few days later.

"It is said that shortly thereafter, the lava inexplicably stopped its advance. Since then, the procession has been repeated every year."

Although no one alive today witnessed the eruption, its story is passed down through generations. In mid-November, people remember that day, which many described as "the end of the world." Occasionally, the island reminds us of its powerful geological nature.