Formigas Islets
Encyclopedia
The Formigas Islet
(fuɾˈmiɡɐʃ) and Dollabarat
Reef, sometimes referred to as the Formigas Bank, are a remote group of rock outcroppings in the eastern group of the Azores
archipelago
, an autonomous region of Portugal
. The bank is located 43 km northeast of Santa Maria Island
and southeast of São Miguel Island
covering a surface area of approximately 9000 m². The bank is only disturbed by a lighthouse located on the largest mound.
These outcrops are composed of basalt flows of 4 million years, although there have been discoveries of calcareous fossiliferous sediments of 4-6 million years. The bank extends for 13 km from northwest to southeast and is 5.5 km wide. In addition, due to strong currents and frequent large swells the linear rock outcroppings lack any terrestrial flora or fauna. Along their perimeter, the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 50–70 m on either side, and gently at the northern and southern tips. The area of the Bank referred to as the Dollabarat
reef, is an area of shallower gradient situated 5 km along the southwest of the Formigas Islets.
The name Formigas is Portuguese for ant
s, since these geological features are small and dispersed rocks in the ocean
, like disorganized ants. The largest islet, Formigão (or literally "large/enormous ant"), reaches 11 m. Generally, the islets are useful for navigation and visible up to 19 km away on clear days, but during intemperate weather a ship can run aground without even seeing the lighthouse.
and Gonçalo Velho Cabral in 1431, during their journey to Madeira
. They quickly became an afterthought in the history of the Azores when the larger islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel were found in the following years. Gaspar Frutuoso
, the Portuguese chronicler, later reported of the rich marine life in the 16th century. The first scientific vessel arrived in 1886: the Italian ship Corsaro visited the Formigas islets; the first scientific dredging being made then. The Princess Alice expedition also stopped in 1895, as did several others, mostly to investigate the marine life: scientifically and commercially.
On March 2, 1895, at the General Meeting of the Autonomous District of Ponta Delgada, the construction of lighthouses was initiated for the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria. A lighthouse was built on the Formigas the same year. In 1948 a small uncovered wharf was built. The lighthouse was further modernized, then rebuilt in 1962 by a shipmaker Almirante Schultz Xavier. It is located in the southern part of the Formigas in a zone that is approximately 3 m above the mean sea level: it sits 22 m above sea level. The lighthouse has been updated since 1962 (most importantly with photovoltaic power replacing acetylene). It is emblematic of most distinct lighthouses in the Azores, and it marks the characteristic profile in the oceanic landscape of the Formigas. It can be sighted from 22 km, presumably, during days of normal visibility, although there have been cases of spotting the lighthouse from the southeastern part of the island of São Miguel and the northeastern part of the island of Santa Maria.
Since April 4, 1988, the Formigas Bank has the status of Nature Reserve and is protected by a decree in the Azorean Regional Assembly (Regional Legislative Decree Nº11/88/A), but it is also considered a European Site of Community Importance (Rede Natura 2000). The habitats included in the Azorean decree include the area from the emerged islets to depths of more than 1700 meters, yet this has not stopped incidence of commercial fishing. Consequently, the zone is regularly patrolled by a Portuguese naval vessel based in Ponta Delgada
.
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
(fuɾˈmiɡɐʃ) and Dollabarat
Dollabarat
The Dollabarat Reef is situated 5 km south-southeast of the Formigas Islets, on the Formigas Bank in the Azores archipelago.-History:...
Reef, sometimes referred to as the Formigas Bank, are a remote group of rock outcroppings in the eastern group of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
, an autonomous region of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The bank is located 43 km northeast of Santa Maria Island
Santa Maria Island
Santa Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores...
and southeast of São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
covering a surface area of approximately 9000 m². The bank is only disturbed by a lighthouse located on the largest mound.
These outcrops are composed of basalt flows of 4 million years, although there have been discoveries of calcareous fossiliferous sediments of 4-6 million years. The bank extends for 13 km from northwest to southeast and is 5.5 km wide. In addition, due to strong currents and frequent large swells the linear rock outcroppings lack any terrestrial flora or fauna. Along their perimeter, the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 50–70 m on either side, and gently at the northern and southern tips. The area of the Bank referred to as the Dollabarat
Dollabarat
The Dollabarat Reef is situated 5 km south-southeast of the Formigas Islets, on the Formigas Bank in the Azores archipelago.-History:...
reef, is an area of shallower gradient situated 5 km along the southwest of the Formigas Islets.
The name Formigas is Portuguese for ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s, since these geological features are small and dispersed rocks in the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
, like disorganized ants. The largest islet, Formigão (or literally "large/enormous ant"), reaches 11 m. Generally, the islets are useful for navigation and visible up to 19 km away on clear days, but during intemperate weather a ship can run aground without even seeing the lighthouse.
History
The Formigas were first discovered by Diogo de SilvesDiogo de Silves
Diogo de Silves, is the presumed name of an obscure Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic who allegedly discovered of the Azores islands in 1427....
and Gonçalo Velho Cabral in 1431, during their journey to Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
. They quickly became an afterthought in the history of the Azores when the larger islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel were found in the following years. Gaspar Frutuoso
Gaspar Frutuoso
Gaspar Frutuoso was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Azores...
, the Portuguese chronicler, later reported of the rich marine life in the 16th century. The first scientific vessel arrived in 1886: the Italian ship Corsaro visited the Formigas islets; the first scientific dredging being made then. The Princess Alice expedition also stopped in 1895, as did several others, mostly to investigate the marine life: scientifically and commercially.
On March 2, 1895, at the General Meeting of the Autonomous District of Ponta Delgada, the construction of lighthouses was initiated for the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria. A lighthouse was built on the Formigas the same year. In 1948 a small uncovered wharf was built. The lighthouse was further modernized, then rebuilt in 1962 by a shipmaker Almirante Schultz Xavier. It is located in the southern part of the Formigas in a zone that is approximately 3 m above the mean sea level: it sits 22 m above sea level. The lighthouse has been updated since 1962 (most importantly with photovoltaic power replacing acetylene). It is emblematic of most distinct lighthouses in the Azores, and it marks the characteristic profile in the oceanic landscape of the Formigas. It can be sighted from 22 km, presumably, during days of normal visibility, although there have been cases of spotting the lighthouse from the southeastern part of the island of São Miguel and the northeastern part of the island of Santa Maria.
Since April 4, 1988, the Formigas Bank has the status of Nature Reserve and is protected by a decree in the Azorean Regional Assembly (Regional Legislative Decree Nº11/88/A), but it is also considered a European Site of Community Importance (Rede Natura 2000). The habitats included in the Azorean decree include the area from the emerged islets to depths of more than 1700 meters, yet this has not stopped incidence of commercial fishing. Consequently, the zone is regularly patrolled by a Portuguese naval vessel based in Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
.