From underwater volcanoes building new islands to ancient whistling languages, discover the extraordinary secrets hidden in these volcanic wonders.
Discover the SecretsThe Canary Islands aren't just another beach destination. This Atlantic archipelago harbors some of the most extraordinary secrets on Earth - from underwater volcanoes to whistling languages that echo across ancient ravines.
El Hierro's submarine volcano is building a brand new island. Between October 2011 and March 2012, after more than 10,000 earthquakes shook the island, an underwater volcano erupted south of El Hierro and grew an astounding 212 meters in just five months. The volcanic cone reached within 88 meters of the ocean surface, creating what scientists call a "restingolite" formation.
NASA satellite imagery captured the dramatic transformation as 145 million cubic meters of new volcanic material formed on the ocean floor. The eruption produced mysterious floating rocks containing materials that shouldn't exist in pure volcanic formations, baffling researchers worldwide. Water temperatures rose to 35°C, and the sea turned bright green from iron and sulfur compounds.
The Canary Islands create von Kármán vortices - spectacular spiral cloud formations visible from space that stretch over 500 kilometers into the Atlantic. Named after aerospace engineer Theodore von Kármán, these atmospheric phenomena occur when trade winds hit the volcanic peaks at speeds of 25-40 km/h, split around the mountainous obstacles, and reform downwind as alternating clockwise and counterclockwise vortices.
The Canary Islands are among the world's most reliable locations for observing these vortices, with Tenerife's 3,715-meter Teide peak and La Palma's mountains acting as perfect atmospheric obstacles. NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites regularly photograph these phenomena, which provide crucial insights into global weather patterns and are studied by meteorologists worldwide. The vortices can persist for hours and influence weather patterns hundreds of kilometers away.
Cueva del Viento contains Europe's largest lava tube system - an extraordinary 18.5 kilometers of interconnected tunnels spanning three distinct levels, formed approximately 27,000 years ago during volcanic eruptions from Pico Viejo. Located in Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, this subterranean maze represents the fifth-longest volcanic cave system in the world.
The cave system maintains a constant temperature of 19°C and houses the world's greatest cave-dwelling biodiversity among volcanic caves, including over 190 different species - many found nowhere else on Earth. These include blind spiders, cave-adapted beetles, and unique arthropods that have evolved in complete darkness. The tubes also preserve fossils of extinct species, creating a paleontological time capsule. Only 200 meters are open to public tours, protecting this delicate ecosystem while allowing visitors to experience this underground wonder.
La Calima - Saharan dust storms that regularly engulf the Canary Islands - represent one of Earth's most dramatic atmospheric phenomena. These dust clouds can reduce visibility to less than 200 meters while carrying particle concentrations up to 350 times higher than WHO air quality standards. The dust travels over 1,500 kilometers from the Sahara Desert, turning the sky an eerie orange-red and coating everything in fine Saharan sand.
What's truly remarkable is the global impact: this same Saharan dust continues its journey across the Atlantic, traveling over 5,000 kilometers to fertilize Amazon rainforests in South America and nourish Caribbean coral reefs. Scientists estimate that 27.7 million tons of Saharan dust cross the Atlantic annually, with 22,000 tons of phosphorus - essential for plant growth - reaching the Amazon basin. The Canary Islands serve as a crucial waystation in this massive global nutrient transport system.
The Canary Islands host some of the world's most sophisticated astronomical instruments. The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on La Palma features the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope with a 10.4-meter segmented mirror, while Tenerife's Teide Observatory houses the world's largest solar observatory. These €130+ million facilities benefit from some of the planet's clearest skies, with over 300 clear nights annually.
The observatories have made groundbreaking discoveries, including the finding that the Sun "beats like a heart" with oscillations every five minutes, providing insights into solar interior dynamics. In 2017, scientists here successfully transmitted quantum-entangled photons 144 kilometers between La Palma and Tenerife - 10 times farther than ever achieved through air - opening new possibilities for quantum communication networks. The islands' unique position also makes them ideal for monitoring space debris and near-Earth asteroids.
Giant lizards reaching 80 centimeters long - the Gallotia species - roam the Canary Islands as crucial ecosystem engineers. These "living dragons" aren't just impressive; they're absolutely essential for island ecology as the primary seed dispersers for over 50 endemic plant species. The Gran Canaria Giant Lizard can weigh up to 400 grams and live over 15 years, while the El Hierro Giant Lizard represents one of Europe's most endangered reptiles.
The El Hierro species, once thought extinct, was rediscovered in 1974 with just 200 individuals clinging to inaccessible cliff faces. Conservation efforts have slowly increased their numbers, but they remain critically endangered. These lizards demonstrate remarkable "island gigantism" - evolving to enormous sizes due to reduced predation pressure and abundant food sources. Without these reptilian gardeners, entire plant communities would collapse, as many endemic plants have evolved specifically to be dispersed by lizard digestion.
The Canary Islands archipelago hosts an astounding 4,200+ endemic species - more than any other region in Spain and among the highest concentrations of unique life forms per square kilometer on Earth. With new species discovered at a rate of approximately one every six days over the past two decades, the islands represent an evolutionary hotspot rivaling the Galápagos.
Recent discoveries include new dragon tree species, fire trees, and dozens of endemic insects, spiders, and mollusks. The islands showcase remarkable evolutionary phenomena like island gigantism (giant lizards) and dwarfism (miniature shrews), creating what scientists call a "natural laboratory" of evolution. Each island acts as a separate evolutionary theater, with species adapting to unique microclimates and volcanic landscapes. The endemic flora includes over 680 plant species found nowhere else, from towering pine forests adapted to volcanic ash to succulent gardens clinging to cliff faces.
The Canary Long-eared Bat (Plecotus teneriffae) sports proportionally enormous ears - measuring 40mm long on a tiny 40-46mm body - making them look like cartoon characters come to life. These unique mammals are found exclusively in the Canary Islands and live entirely in lava tubes and volcanic caves, never using tree cavities or artificial roosts like their mainland relatives.
Their oversized ears and specialized echolocation system are perfectly adapted for navigating the complex three-dimensional maze of volcanic cave systems. Unlike other European long-eared bats, they've evolved to be completely dependent on the islands' unique volcanic geology. They hunt for moths and small insects around cave entrances at night, then retreat deep into the lava tubes during the day. Their population is closely tied to the health of the volcanic cave ecosystems, making them an important indicator species for underground environmental changes.
Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco) are living fossils that can survive over 800 years and literally "bleed" dark crimson resin called "dragon's blood" when wounded. These prehistoric-looking giants are botanical anomalies - despite being monocots (like grasses), they show secondary growth and develop thick, branching trunks, a trait extremely rare in the plant kingdom.
The famous Dragon Tree of Icod de los Vinos in Tenerife stands 20 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 20 meters and is estimated to be 800-1,000 years old. The crimson resin has been prized since ancient times for its medicinal and mystical properties - Romans paid its weight in gold, and it was used in medieval alchemy. The trees' unique umbrella-shaped crown and slow growth (taking 15-20 years just to form their first branches) make them symbols of longevity and resilience. Each tree can live for millennia, with some specimens possibly predating human arrival on the islands.
Silbo Gomero is the world's only fully-developed whistling language, transforming Spanish into melodic whistled sounds that can carry up to 5 kilometers across La Gomera's dramatic ravines and valleys. This UNESCO World Heritage treasure uses just six whistled sounds - two vowels and four consonants - to communicate unlimited complex messages through frequencies between 1,000-3,000 hertz.
Developed by the original Guanche inhabitants and adapted for Spanish after colonization, Silbo requires whistlers to use their tongue, lips, and hands to create precise tonal variations. Over 22,000 people understand it today, and it's mandatory in all La Gomera schools since 1999. The language demonstrates remarkable neuroplasticity - brain imaging shows that Silbo speakers process whistled speech in the same areas used for spoken language. This acoustic marvel allowed shepherds, farmers, and fishermen to communicate across impossible distances in the pre-telephone era, and remains a living link to the islands' ancient past.
The Guanches developed sophisticated mummification techniques that preserved organs intact using unique mixtures of volcanic minerals, aromatic herbs, pine resin, and dragon tree blood. These indigenous Berber people, who arrived around 1000 BCE, perfected preservation methods that rival Egyptian techniques. Recent CT scans of 900-year-old mummies reveal perfect preservation of brains, hearts, and other organs.
The mummification process involved removing internal fluids, stuffing body cavities with volcanic pumice and herbs, then wrapping the body in multiple layers of goat and sheep skins sealed with resin. The dry volcanic caves provided perfect preservation conditions. These tall, often fair-skinned people of North African origin lived in complete isolation for over 1,500 years, developing sophisticated astronomical knowledge and creating the world's largest concentration of triangular rock art - over 1,000 mysterious geometric petroglyphs that may represent star maps or calendrical systems.
Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria represent one of the world's most sophisticated prehistoric astronomical complexes. Cave C6 features a precisely engineered parabolic dome with strategically placed openings that project moving shadows onto 37 triangular petroglyphs for exactly 180 days annually, marking equinoxes and solstices with remarkable precision.
From October to February, moonlight streams through the cave openings, illuminating the ancient rock art in an ethereal display that transforms the cave into a prehistoric planetarium. The Guanche builders carved this "Sistine Chapel of rock art" with such astronomical precision that it rivals Stonehenge in sophistication. UNESCO recognized this 18,000-hectare cultural landscape in 2019, noting that it contains the largest collection of "troglodyte" settlements in the Canary Islands - over 1,500 archaeological sites demonstrating the Guanches' advanced understanding of astronomy, agriculture, and sacred geography.
Christopher Columbus made crucial stops in the Canary Islands during all four of his voyages to the Americas, with his 1492 visit to La Gomera becoming the stuff of legend. There, he allegedly fell in love with Beatriz de Bobadilla, the island's beautiful and powerful ruler, leading to an extended stay that nearly jeopardized his historic mission. Local lore claims he took water from her well for the voyage - symbolically connecting Old and New Worlds.
The Canary Islands' strategic position 1,350 kilometers southwest of mainland Spain made them indispensable for Atlantic navigation. Columbus and subsequent explorers used the islands to establish the crucial "volta do mar" sailing technique - riding the trade winds and Canary Current to reach the Americas efficiently. This maritime route became the foundation for Spanish colonial expansion, making the Canary Islands the last European stop before the New World. Columbus's ships were repaired here, provisions loaded, and crew morale restored before the final Atlantic crossing that would change world history forever.
Museo Atlántico off the coast of Lanzarote features over 300 life-sized sculptures spread across 26,000 square feet of Atlantic Ocean floor at depths of 14-15 meters. Created by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, this groundbreaking project includes installations like "Crossing the Rubicon" - 35 human figures passing through a 100-foot underwater wall - and "The Raft of Lampedusa," highlighting refugee crises.
The sculptures are crafted from pH-neutral marine cement specifically designed to promote coral growth and marine biodiversity. Over time, the artworks transform into artificial reefs, supporting new ecosystems while making powerful environmental and social statements. The museum can be explored by certified divers or viewed through glass-bottom boats, creating an otherworldly experience where art, conservation, and the ocean merge. Since opening in 2016, the installation has become a model for underwater museums worldwide and significantly boosted marine life in the area.
Artist and architect César Manrique (1919-1992) transformed Lanzarote into a living fusion of art and nature by building extraordinary structures directly into volcanic formations. His masterpiece home in Taro de Tahiche was constructed inside five massive volcanic bubbles formed by lava flows, with each bubble converted into a unique living space connected by underground tunnels. This architectural marvel demonstrates how human creativity can harmonize with volcanic forces.
Manrique's vision extended across the island: Jameos del Agua features a stunning auditorium, restaurant, and swimming pool built inside a series of volcanic caves and lava tubes, while Mirador del Río creates a nearly invisible scenic lookout integrated seamlessly into clifftop geology. His work established Lanzarote as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and proved that tourism and environmental protection could coexist. Manrique's philosophy of "art into nature, nature into art" created architectural wonders that seem to grow organically from the volcanic landscape itself, inspiring sustainable design worldwide.
The Canary Islands prove that reality often surpasses imagination. From volcanoes building new land to whistling languages echoing across time, these volcanic wonders offer experiences impossible to find elsewhere on Earth.