The oceanic Cordillera of hotspot of the Canary ... a territorial extension of Spain.

A strategic project of the Spanish state, called EXARCAN / EXtension de la platAfoRma Continental de CANarias, to delineate the deep ocean areas where it can assert its rights of exploration and exploitation of subsoil resources, and of species living there, took place off the Canary Islands.

The campaign DRAGO 0511 has delivered information and scientific arguments to demonstrate that the submarines mountains and peaks located southwest of the Canary Islands, Hijas, Bimbache, Echo, Paps, Draco and Tropic, whose are known to exist and those that could be discovered, are a group of volcanic edifices common with buildings forming the islands of the archipelago, including those in the north, as the Banco de la Concepción.

Purpose of the area of the DRAGO 0511 campaign and various seamounts in the region: Bimbache, Paps, Echo, Tropic and other lower elevations, located in the Spanish EEZ - exclusive economic zone - and between 200 and 350 miles west of the Canary Island / doc. in Informe Científico-Técnico de la Campaña Oceanográfica DRAGO 0511 - Ampliación de la Plataforma Continental de España al Oeste de las Islas Canarias – by Vázquez & al.

Work area of the 0511 campaign Drago southwest of the Canaries and the seamounts concerned - the red dotted line marks the "Cordillera oceánica de punto caliente Canarias" - in Informe Científico-Técnico of Campaña oceanográfica DRAGO 0511 - Vasquez et al.

Scientific arguments, which allow to argue that the islands and seamounts of Canary form "a mountain range formed by volcanic activity in relation to the movements of the crust over a hot spot" are:
- Morphotectonics the structure of seamounts and
- Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of effusive rocks forming the basis of seamounts.
 

Potential expansion area of Spain in the west of the Canary Islands between 200 and 350 nautical miles, under Article 76 of the Convention. This potential area of about 270,000 km2 - in Informe Científico-Técnico of Campaña oceanográfica DRAGO 0511 - Vasquez et al.

The study of debris flows characterizing the pre-islands of hotspot will help to determine the deepest limit of the base of the continental slope and the natural extension of the border of the Canary Islands.

These data are expected to extend from 200 to 350 nautical miles to the west limits of the Spanish continental shelf.


To follow, some bathymetric views of underwater volcanoes of the Canaries.

Sources :

- Avcan noticias – El otro archipielago sumergido de Canarias - link

- Informe Científico Técnico de la Campaña DRAGO 0511 - by Dr. Juan Tomás Vázquez Garrido & al.- link