Description:The Montañon Negro, dated as 2,970 years old, is one of several volcanoes of Holocene age, to have erupted along a 9 km long north west to south east fracture zone on the north west of Gran Canaria and are the latest eruptions associated to the rejuvenation stage of Gran Canaria. The volcano whose cinder cone is 192 metres tall and 1616 metres above sea level, is located on the summits of Gran Canaria’s north western highlands to the south of the small town of Fontanales and very close to another volcano, the Caldera de Pinos de Galdar which erupted some 140 years later.
The pyroclastic cone originating from a strombolian type eruption is relatively well preserved and is composed largely of rather loose dark black vesiculated lapilli and to a lesser degree scoria which is found higher up on the cone. The lapilli deposits were very widely dispersed. Lava flows were emitted from fissures within the base of the volcano (behind this cone) lavas, which were to flow down the north of the island within two canyons, Barranco de Aguas Fontanales – Barranquillo del Brezal and the Barranco de La Virgin running for 9Km and 13 Km respectively. The ‘aa’ type lava flows are composed of basanite and are very dark grey to black, with abundant bright yellow fresh olivine phenocrysts. The upper parts of these lava flows below the base of the volcano are very rough surfaced, the rocks being rather vesicular, with numerous large drifted blocks. This area is still well preserved and has undergone little erosion, but where numerous eucalyptus trees have taken root are now of a considerable size. Further down the canyons the flows are hardly recognizable being covered in dense vegetation.The area of flank collapse seen here in this image is the result of earlier attempt to quarry the site.