The current eruption of La Palma still does not have a name and the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan) believes that the people of La Palma should be the ones to choose and name this eruption. The Institute dares to suggest the name Tajogaite for this eruption, taking into account the aboriginal legacy and the place where this eruptive process began, but insists that the inhabitants of the island have the last word.
Through its Facebook account, Involcan recalls that this October 12 marks the tenth anniversary of the Tagoro eruption (2011-2012), one of the 17 historical eruptions in the Canary Islands. For some, the submarine eruption of El Hierro began on October 10, 2011, but a strong and clear discoloration of the seawater detected on October 12, 2011 was the clearest observation of the beginning of this submarine eruption as a result of a strong interaction between the acidic volcanic gases and the alkaline seawater responsible for generating an unparalleled palette of colors at sea.
The Tagoro eruption (2011-2012) lasted 145 days, the second longest of the historical eruptions in the Canary Islands, and the total volume of material ejected by this submarine eruption amounted to 329 million cubic meters.
Some people ask Involcan why celebrate the anniversary of a volcanic eruption that occurred in the Canary Islands, especially when many people associate volcanic activity as a source of destruction. According to the Institute, thanks to the magmatic activity existing at this point on the planet and the countless eruptions that have occurred on these islands over millions of years, the Canary Islands have been built.
On the other hand, scientists are aware that volcanic activity can be a source of destruction, especially for communities living near an eruptive process, but they clarify that the time intervals in which volcanic activity could be a source of destruction is much shorter than the time intervals in which volcanic activity acts as a source of construction, contributing to the socio-economic development of the communities that inhabit volcanic territories.
List of the 17 historical eruptions of the Canary Islands: Tacande (La Palma) 1430-1447; Cristóbal Colón (Tenerife) 1492; Boca Cangrejo (Tenerife) 16th century; Tehuya (La Palma) 1585; Tigalate (La Palma) 1646; San Antonio (La Palma) 1677-1678; Siete Fuentes-Fasnia-Arafo (Tenerife) 1704-1705; Arenas Negras (Tenerife) 1706; Charco (La Palma) 1712; Timanfaya (Lanzarote) 1730-1736; Chahorra (Tenerife) 1798; Tao-Nuevo del Fuego-Tinguatón (Lanzarote) 1824; Chinyero (Tenerife) 1909; San Juan (La Palma) 1949; Teneguía (La Palma) 1971; Tagoro (El Hierro; submarine eruption) 2011-2012, and Tajogaite (La Palma) 2021. The volcanic eruption on the island of Tenerife described by Christopher Columbus (specific location unknown)