Did you know that Faial had two historical volcano eruptions since the first settlers arrived? The Cabeço do Fogo in Praia do Norte erupted 350 years ago and devastated the western part of Faial. Join the closing event of the commemoration of the event with a conference lead by Professor Aristides Bittencourt.
The Cabeço do Fogo with an altitude of 571 meters erupted on April 23 to 24, 1672 (Easter Sunday). It started with a seismic crisis on September 20, 1671, which intensified in February 1672. After April 12, a sequence of earthquakes was felt with more violence in the parishes of Praia do Norte and Capelo and brought down many houses. The eruption started with a short explosive phase, followed during 10 months with a considerable effusion of basaltic lava from 2 chimneys.
After the volcanic eruption of Cabeço do Fogo there was a series of earthquakes which caused countless damages Praia do Norte, Capelo, Castelo Branco and Cedros, causing 1,200 families to lose their houses and land. As a result 400 Faialense emigrated to Brazil (Maranhão, Santa Catarina).
Eruption of Cabeço do Fogo
