Misplaced Pages

The Quill (volcano)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Radagast83 (talk | contribs) at 07:17, 27 April 2009. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 07:17, 27 April 2009 by Radagast83 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
The Quill

The Quill, formally known as Mount Mazinga, is a stratovolcano located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Netherlands Antilles. The summit elevation is 601m above sea-level.

The name Quill originates from the Dutch term kuil, meaning pit or hole, which was used originally with reference to Mount Mazinga's volcanic crater. The Quill was designated as a national park by the government of the Netherlands Antilles in 1998. It is administered by the St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (Stenapa), which maintains a number of trails for hikers.

Geology

The Quill formed between 22,000 and 32,000 years before present to the southeast of St. Eustatius (Statia) in the West Indies. Pyroclastic flows during the initial eruption joined The Quill with St. Eustatius. The Quill has been active since its birth; the last known eruption, as determined by carbon dating, occurred between 1755 and 1635 years before present. Since volcanic eruptions from The Quill have included pyroclastic flows, and groundwater heating indicates that The Quill is only dormant, the volcano must be regarded as potentially dangerous.

Flora and Fauna

The crater of the Quill contains a lush rainforest populated by native and introduced tropical trees and plants. These include elephant ears, tree ferns, begonias, figs, plantains, bananas, bromeliads, trumpet wood, mahogany, seedless breadfruit, Surinam cherry, ginger bush and edible raspberries, as well as at least 17 different kinds of orchids. Resident animal species include iguanas, anoles, snakes, hermit crabs, butterflies, exotic birds, and occasional goats and chickens that have strayed from nearby Oranjestad. Hunting land crabs in the Quill crater is a somewhat popular evening pastime of islanders.

See also

References

  1. Global Volcanism Program - The Quill
  2. Volcanology of Saba and St. Eustatius Northern Lesser Antilles - Abstract
Categories: