Dike Cross-Cutting Sedimentary Rock - Spain

Dikes are sheet-like igneous bodies that cut across pre-existing rock layers and are discordant. Sills are also sheet-like intrusions but are intruded between the pre-existing rock layers and are concordant.

The Canary Islands are located on the African Plate, which is moving slowly over a hotspot in the Earth's mantle. The hotspot is a region of high heat and pressure that rises from the Earth's core. As the African Plate moves over the hotspot, the magma rises to the surface and erupts, forming volcanoes.

The volcanism in the Canary Islands has created a variety of volcanic features, including cinder cones, lava flows, and tuff cones. The islands are also home to a number of dormant and active volcanoes. The most active volcano in the Canary Islands is Teide, which is located on the island of Tenerife.

Sills and dykes are amongst the easiest geological features to observe on La Gomera. 

The red, pyroclastic flow was laid down first, and then basalt oozed up through a crack in the rock and solidified. The basalt is much harder, so the pyroclastic rock eroded away faster, leaving the basalt sticking out like a wall. It’s called a volcanic dyke, and you see them all over the island.

Dike Cross-Cutting Sedimentary Rock -Spain. Mass of igneous rock intruded into older red iron rich sedimentary rock. La Palma Island, Canary Islands, Spain.