The Red Desert of Santa Maria: Ancient Paleosols and Weathering
by Rui Fagundes Silva, IVAR/CIVISA, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Known as the "Red Desert," this area represents a unique geosite in the Azores. These are humid-climate paleosols (latosols) formed by the intense chemical weathering of volcanic ash and basaltic lavas. The reddish hue is due to the high concentration of iron oxides, providing a window into the island's paleoclimatic and geological evolution.
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Location
- Europe (3956)
- Southern Europe (1720)
- Portugal (109)
- Exact location (-25.1227 W, 36.9995 N)
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3648 × 2736 px;
image/jpeg; 911.8 KB
Camera:
Canon PowerShot G11
Software: Adobe Lightroom
Taken on 14
October
2016
Submitted on 6 April 2026
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
Credit
Rui Fagundes Silva (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)
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