Fogo

Geography & Climate

Fogo is located in Cabo Verde, within the Cape Verde Hotspot Volcano Group of the broader Northern Africa Volcanic Regions. Situated at 14.95° N, 24.35° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. At 2,829 meters above sea level, Fogo rises above the surrounding terrain into montane or subalpine conditions. The elevation creates distinct ecological zones along its flanks, from forested lower slopes to exposed rocky terrain near the summit. The volcanic landform is characterized as a composite, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Fogo is an intraplate volcano, meaning it formed away from any plate boundary. These volcanoes are often powered by hotspots — plumes of abnormally hot mantle material rising from deep within the Earth. Hotspot volcanoes like Fogo tend to produce effusive eruptions with lava flows that can be relatively predictable, giving nearby communities in Cabo Verde more time to prepare. However, they can also produce explosive phases, particularly when magma interacts with groundwater. The dominant rock type is foidite, which influences the viscosity of the magma and, consequently, the style of eruptions this volcano produces. Rock chemistry is one of the most important factors in determining whether a volcano erupts explosively or effusively.

Eruption History Summary

Fogo has 12 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1500 CE to 2014 CE. The most powerful recorded event was an explosive event producing ash plumes up to several kilometers in 2014 CE, reaching VEI 2 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. This level of eruptive frequency indicates a persistently active volcanic system that warrants ongoing monitoring. With eruptive activity as recently as 2014 CE, Fogo remains an actively monitored volcano.

Significance

With 12 recorded eruptions, Fogo has a substantial eruptive history that provides valuable data for understanding volcanic behavior and assessing future hazards in the Northern Africa Volcanic Regions region. Given its recent activity, Fogo is closely monitored by geological survey organizations to provide early warning of future unrest.

GVP Reference Summary

The island of Fogo consists of a single massive stratovolcano that is the most prominent of the Cape Verde Islands. The roughly circular 25-km-wide island is truncated by a large 9-km-wide caldera that is breached to the east and has a headwall 1 km high. The caldera is located asymmetrically NE of the center of the island and was formed as a result of massive lateral collapse of the older Monte Armarelo edifice. A very youthful steep-sided central cone, Pico, rises more than 1 km above the caldera floor to about 100 m above the rim. Pico, which is capped by a 500-m-wide, 150-m-deep summit crater, was apparently in almost continuous activity from the time of Portuguese settlement in 1500 CE until around 1760. Later lava flows, some from vents on the caldera floor, reached the eastern coast below the breached caldera.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program