Montaña Blanca
# Montaña Blanca

Montaña Blanca is a mountain on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Its flat summit on the eastern flank of the Pico del Teide above the edge mountains of the Las Cañadas basin at a height of 2,748 m (9,016 ft). This makes the Montaña Blanca the third highest peak in Tenerife after the Pico del Teide (3,718 m (12,198 ft)) and the Pico Viejo (3,135 m (10,285 ft)).

## Formation

The Montaña Blanca is a flank volcano of the Pico del Teide, whose name is due to the beige color of the light-colored pumice on its surface. It was created by volcanic processes that took place around 50 BC, in three phases. Initially, phonolitic lava with a volume of about 0.022 km³ emerged from a west-northwest-east-southeast trending eruption fissure system on the east flank of the Pico del Teide. The eruption then transitioned into an explosive sub-Plinian phase, measuring magnitude 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Within 7 to 11 hours, phonolitic pumice and ash (approximately 0.25 km³ DRE) descended from a 15 km high eruptive column in a northeasterly direction and covered an area of at least 40 $km^2.$ In the third phase, about 0.025 km³ of lava came out, and today's lava dome was formed. The Montaña Blanca subplinian eruption is the only known explosive eruption in the Pico del Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex.

## Ascent

The Montaña Blanca is an excellent vantage point. It can be easily climbed via a branch from the Sendero trail no. 7 (from the car park on the TF-21 below the Montaña Blanca to the summit of the Teide). The tour can also start at the El Portillo Visitor Center and then take either trails #1 and #6 or #1 and #22 to Sendero #7.

