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Geological Formation

Savage Islands

Volcanic Formations

The Savage Islands, known in Portuguese as Ilhas Selvagens, are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic, lying 280 kilometers south of Madeira and 165 kilometers north of the Canary Islands as part of Macaronesia. They formed from submarine volcanic activity generated by the Canary hotspot, in two separate episodes about 29.5 million and 3.4 million years ago, an unusual pattern of widely spaced eruptions for an oceanic volcanic island group, leaving basaltic rock, ash and other volcanic material cut through by calcareous faults. The archipelago's total land area is only 2.73 square kilometers, split between the larger Selvagem Grande and smaller Selvagem Pequena plus surrounding islets and reefs, with the highest point, Pico da Atalaia, reaching 163 meters. Since 1971 the islands have been protected as a nature reserve for breeding seabirds, and only reserve staff and scientists live there year-round.

Facts
Classification
Protected Status
Locally or Regionally Protected 1
Connections

Associated With

Basalt, Materials
Source Savage Islands (Wikipedia)
Oligocene, Eras
Source Savage Islands (Wikipedia)

Caused By

Erosion, Processes
Source Savage Islands (Wikipedia)
Sedimentation, Processes
Source Savage Islands (Wikipedia)
Volcanism, Processes
Source Savage Islands (Wikipedia)

In Discipline

Geomorphology, Disciplines

Wikidata P31 formation-type mapped to discipline Geomorphology via reviewed judgment map (earth atlas); source citation is this entity's own cited Wikidata item.

Source Wikidata: Savage Islands
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Portugal

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Wikidata: Savage Islands
Sources
1. Savage Islands (Wikipedia)
  • Lead section
    The Savage Islands, or Selvagens Islands (Portuguese: Ilhas Selvagens, IPA: [ˈiʎɐʃ sɛlˈvaʒɐ̃jʃ]; also known as the Salvage Islands), are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, 280 kilometres (175 mi) south of Madeira and 165 kilometres (105 mi) north of the Canary Islands.
  • Article text
    The Savage Islands Reserve was created as part of the Madeira Nature Park; it is one of the oldest nature reserves of Portugal and it also includes the surrounding shelf to a depth of 200 metres (220 yd; 660 ft).
  • Associated With: Oligocene, Article text, age Oligocene
    The islands were created during the Oligocene period 29 mya, from a large submarine volcano generated by the Canary hotspot and shaped by erosion and marine sedimentation.
  • Caused By: Volcanism, Article text, process Volcanism
    The islands were created during the Oligocene period 29 mya, from a large submarine volcano generated by the Canary hotspot and shaped by erosion and marine sedimentation.
  • Caused By: Erosion, Article text, process Erosion
    The islands were created during the Oligocene period 29 mya, from a large submarine volcano generated by the Canary hotspot and shaped by erosion and marine sedimentation.
  • Caused By: Sedimentation, Article text, process Sedimentation
    The islands were created during the Oligocene period 29 mya, from a large submarine volcano generated by the Canary hotspot and shaped by erosion and marine sedimentation.
  • Associated With: Basalt, Article text, rock Basalt
    The islands themselves are crossed by many calcareous faults, some marbleised, and made of basaltic rock, ash, and other volcanic materials.
View the Source
Wikidata: Savage Islands
Wikidata Q27088, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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