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Caves of São Vicente & Volcanism Centre
Duration
3 hours
Overview
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The São Vicente caves formed from a volcanic eruption 890 a thousand years ago, in Paul da Serra, which came down to the sea, the outer part was exposed to lower temperatures that solidified rapidly, while inside lava continued to run with many gases, forming a series of lava tubes, which constitute the caves of San Vicente, where it is possible to walk on them. This set of eight "volcanic tunnels" has a total development of more than 1000 meters long, whose maximum height varies between 5 and 6 meters, and is the largest known so far, in Madeira Island.
The marks left by the volcanic activity of the last eruptive period extinct for millennia, where the molten lava reached the temperature of 1200 ° C, can be observed along approximately 700 underground meters that resulted from the excavation, to give access to the several tubes or channels the 1000 meters. This excavation caused a maximum unevenness of about 19 meters in relation to the entrance.