São Tomé and Príncipe « ExploreVolcanoesNow™

Pico de São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe

By ExploreNow Editor, on May 13th, 2012%

Volcano Type: Shield volcano
Volcano Status: Holocene
Last Known Eruption: Unknown
Summit Elevation: 2024 m   6,640 feet
Latitude: 0.20°N   0°12’0″N
Longitude: 6.58°E   6°35’0″E

Pico de São Tomé is the highest mountain in São Tomé and Príncipe at 2,024 metres. It lies just west of the centre of São Tomé Island in the Obo National Park. The second highest point, Pico Ana Chaves, lies to its south east. The mountain is forested and accessible only on foot.

Sao Tome is a roughly conical island in the Gulf of Guinea that rises to a height of 2024 m from a depth of 3000 m below sea level. The southern and western parts of the island are more dissected, and dramatic phonolitic and trachytic spines rise vertically out of the rain forest. Most of the lavas erupted over the last million years are basaltic in composition. The youngest dated volcanic rock on Sao Tome is 0.1 million years old. However, the Sao Tome shield volcano is dotted with numerous morphologically recent cinder cones, many of which are concentrated on the SE side of the island.