Saturday, 20 October 2007 23:33
The island of Faial is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last eruption of the Capelinhos volcano, which is located on the western part of the island. After some tremors and an underwater eruption, the volcano erupted with a 100-meter (328.1-foot) jet of ash on November 7, 1957. This kicked off a year-long eruption that ended on October 24, 1958. In total, the volcano ejected more 30 million tons of ash and lava and created more than 2.4 kilometers (1.49 miles) of new land on Faial Island, but nearly half of that land was destroyed by intense sea erosion. As a result, the village of Capelinhos was completely buried and crops were destroyed, but no one died. Thousands of residents on both Faial and Pico were forced to immigrate to the United States. Former President John F. Kennedy, a U.S. Senator at the time, sponsored a special bill that allowed the Azoreans to relocate to Massachusetts. In June 1958, National Geographic ran a story on Capelinhos after sending reporter John Scofield and photographer Robert Sisson to Faial for a month. The America cruise liner SS Independence diverted its route to Europe so passengers could see the volcano. Today the Capelinhos volcano is a natural park where visitors can see the unique changing landscape and the power of volcanism. The vegetation is slowly turning to the land, which is similar to the planet Mars with red, crunchy soil. Visitors can also hike to the rim of the volcano and look over the new land that was formed. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Capelinhos eruption, the regional government is creating a new museum, which will open later this year. It is located at the site of the famous lighthouse, which guided ships to the islands for years and was buried by the eruption. In addition, the anniversary will include a series of special events throughout the year.
Portugal National Tourist Office