Satellite image of the week: island of fire

Sometimes a name just says it all, what you need to know. And no, we don't think about the example of the upper häslich. This is a District of Dippoldiswalde, in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge and actually quite pretty. The Name there has, finally, also the rule of law nothing to do with the lack of jQuery UI, but with an old hazel Bush. At least So they say.

The speech is, rather, of Fogo, an island in the Atlantic ocean off the African coastal Cape Verde Islands. It was in the 15th century. Century by an Expedition commissioned by the Portuguese king to be discovered. Fogo is Portuguese for "fire". And the fire from the Interior of the earth, the island owes its existence. Because of Fogo, located about 20 kilometres in diameter, is in principle nothing more than a single, large volcanic cone.

Our false-color image, taken by the European satellite "Sentinel-2-A", shows a Fogo out of about 800 kilometers altitude. The island is located in the right area of the photo. To the left of it are the smaller Islands Rombos-Grande, Luís Carneiro, and Cima and, on the far left, the island of Brava. They are also the product of volcanism. They all lie on a common, under the surface of the water Wsbets nearby Socket.

While there are but on Brava, in principle, no volcanic activity, but earthquakes, to expect the residents of Fogo constantly with flares. Blame the more than 2800 meters high Pico do Fogo. The stratovolcano, which gave the island its characteristic name, breaks out on a regular basis. In the historical records, reports of 1680, 1785, 1799, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1951, 1995 - as well as 2014 and 2015 are to be found.

In more recent time, the volcano caused a disaster of almost unimaginable proportions: in front of 73,000 years ago, a flank of the mountain slid into the sea, landed 160 cubic kilometres of Rock in the sea, and a Tsunami of at least 170 meters in height, swept over the ocean.

The volcano determines the life of the people until today in every respect - so much so, that even one of the most important football teams in the island bears his name: Vulcânicos Futebol Clube.

not only that, But On the North side of the mountain is cultivated on the thanks to the volcanic ash, fertile soils, coffee, between 350 and 1300 meters above the sea. Wine thrives on Fogo. However, the agriculture has to contend with about six months of the year as well as no rain. Again and again the Cape Verde Islands suffer from massive droughts.

chs.