Masca Gorge

Masca Gorge (Spanish: Barranco de Masca) is a narrow valley in the north-west of the island of Tenerife. The gorge is situated within the Teno Massif. The gorge is a popular tourist destination due to its dramatic scenery and unique geology. An eight-kilometre long walking trail begins at Masca village and continues for the length of the gorge to finish at Masca beach (Spanish: Playa de Masca), approximately ten kilometres from the north-west tip of Tenerife.

Geology

Masca Gorge is found within the Teno Massif, a Miocene-age volcanic formation composed of basaltic lava flows. Much of the gorge itself is formed by steeply-dipping volcanic flows. These flows are generally less than a metre thick and mostly basaltic with scoriaceous inclusions. The flows have subsequently been intruded by several swarms of dykes, many of which form cross-cutting relationships.

A particular formation of interest is the Masca Unconformity. The unconformity consists of a polymictite breccia that varies in both thickness and dip angle depending on location. Within Masca Gorge, the breccia may be 10 – 15 metres, thick, and dip at an angle of 30 - 60 degrees to the north.

References

External links

• Geocache hidden at Masca Gorge
• Independent travel article on walking the gorge trail
• Volcanic and geochemical evolution of the Teno Massif, Tenerife, Canary Islands: some repercussions of giant landslides on ocean island magmatism
• The growth, collapse and quiescence of Teno volcano, Tenerife: new constraints from palaeomagnetic data

1. Masca
2. Tenerife