These images were taken on the volcanic island of Tenerife in the Spanish Canaries. The island is dominated by Pico del Teide, a volcano that sits within a caldera of substantial proportions. The entire island is a volcanologists delight, not so much for its ongoing activity, as at present the volcano is in a period of quiescence.

However, the spectacular geology that is to be found practically everywhere, together with an unusual ecology with a number of widely differing microclimates, makes a visit to this volcanic location a delight. However, one should try to avoid the not inconsiderable package tour biased tourist centres that are confined to some, but by no means the entire coast.

Camping in the many officially set up and monitored sites within and around the national parks is to be recommended, as is an off-season visit to the island. There are stunning gorge walks through volcanic strata shot with tangential dyke complexes, the latter can also be seen together with all manner of other volcanically related petrology along much of Tenerife's coastline. In the near desert-like environment surrounding the 3715 metre high Pico del Teide the landscape is awash with geology including parasitic cones, lava flows, tephra deposits, dyke complexes, solidified lava lakes and deposits of pumice and obsidian.

The vegetation here is also special with a mass of native and rare species. Teide's last eruption was in 1909 from its northwest flank, but with a repose period typically in the centuries, further eruptions are likely in the future. And it is as well to remember that activity on Tenerife's sister islands has been as recent as 1971 (La Palma). For now though Tenerife is an island for the volcanically minded who are not only attracted to activity, but also to volcanic environment, fauna and flora.