1.1 The Canary Isles, comprising seven larger
islands and six islets lying at latitude 28°-29° N, form an
archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean, some 100 km
off the western coast of Africa. Their total area is 7,273 km2.
For administrative purposes, they are divided into two provinces:
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, comprising the islands of Tenerife, La Palma,
La Gomera and El Hierro; and Las Palmas, comprising Gran Canaria,
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The islets, called Alegranza, La Graciosa,
Montaņa Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste and Lobos, are
all grouped around the two last-named islands.
1.2 The Canarian island margin is made up of the
seven islands and the islets forming the archipelago, as well as a
number of submerged mountains, all of them volcanic and rising directly
from deep in the earth's mantle. Owing to their volcanic origin, the
characteristics of the island margins are unique. In general terms,
the depth profile and underwater morphology of the Canary Isles are
sharply defined, with very narrow island shelves and steeply sloping
shores scored by landslide channels that descend rapidly to the abyssal
plain, transporting collapsed materials for tens of kilometres.
1.3 As to the shelf profile of the various islands,
there are two different groupings. The first, comprising Gran Canaria,
Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Gomera, has shelves that, although
limited in size, are still large in relation to those of the second
group made up of Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro.
1.4 The physiography of the sea-beds around the
archipelago is testament to the continuous volcanic activity and their
location on a prograding margin; the morphological units caused by
landslides and intrusions are frequent, and the sea-beds in the proposed
area are largely unstable.
1.5 The morphology of the coasts reflects the
qualities of their constituent materials, which range from steep cliffs
containing basalt formations to low coastlines made of pyroclastic
materials and porous rocks that are difficult to restore once accidentally
polluted.
1.6 The beaches generally lie on the south side
of the islands, their morphology highly influenced by the effects
of the prevailing trade winds.
1.7 These winds magnify the scale of any accidental
spillage, helping to solve problems in some areas and making the disaster
still worse in others.
1.8 The area is defined by a line:
| A = 28° 56′ N and 018° 13′ W
|
H = 29° 17′ N and 013° 06′ W
|
| B = 29° 04′ N and 017° 47′ W
|
I = 27° 57′ N and 013° 48′ W
|
| C = 28° 48′ N and 016° 04′ W
|
J = 27° 32′ N and 015° 35′ W
|
| D = 28° 22′ N and 015° 19′ W
|
K = 27° 48′ N and 016° 45′ W
|
| E = 28° 19′ N and 014° 36′ W
|
L = 27° 48′ N and 017° 11′ W
|
| F = 29° 37′ N and 013° 39′ W
|
M = 27° 23′ N and 017° 58′ W
|
| G = 29° 37′ N and 013° 19′ W
|
N = 27° 36′ N and 018° 25′ W
|
1.9 A chartlet of the Canary Islands PSSA and
its associated protective measures is provided below.
Figure A