Reply to the comment by Quartau and Mitchell on 'Reconstructing the architectural evolution of volcanic islands from combined K/Ar, morphologic, tectonic, and magnetic data: The Faial Island example (Azores)',J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 241-242, 39-48, by Hildenbrand et al. (2012)

摘要

In our recent paper (Hildenbrand et al., 2012a), we used a panel of complementary approaches to reconstruct the architectural evolution of Faial oceanic island over the last 1 Myr. We showed that the present island has a complex architecture, which results from distinct and brief (<50 kyr) episodes of volcanic construction separated by long periods of volcanic inactivity, during which the edifices were extensively dismantled by erosion and tectonics. The upper part of the oldest volcanic system, especially, only crops out in the SE part of the island, whereas most of the original volcano was deeply modified by mass wasting processes and extensively covered by more recent volcanic products. The combination of our K/Ar, morphologic, tectonic and magnetic data suggests that the remnants of the old volcano are presently under most of Faial, and that this volcano had an elongated morphology slightly oblique with respect to the present WNW-ESE elongation of the island. In their comment, Quartau and Mitchell point out possible "problems" in our interpretations. Their only criticism lies on the extent and morphology of the old volcano, which they draw as a small conical edifice restricted to the eastern end of the island.