Fajã dos Cubres
| Fajã dos Cubres | |
| Debris field (Fajã) | |
.jpg) A glimpse of the lagoon and settlement of Fajã dos Cubres
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| Named for: Solidago sempervirens (seaside goldenrod) | |
| Nickname: Cubres | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Group | Central |
| Island | São Jorge |
| Municipality | Calheta |
| Civil parish | Ribeira Seca |
| Lake | Lagoa da Fajã dos Cubres |
| Coordinates | 38°38′27″N 27°58′3″W / 38.64083°N 27.96750°WCoordinates: 38°38′27″N 27°58′3″W / 38.64083°N 27.96750°W |
| Area | .75 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Biomes | Temperate, Mediterranean |
| Geology | Alkali basalt, Tephra, Trachyte, Trachybasalt |
| Orogeny | Volcanism |
| Period | Holocene |
| Plant | Solidago sempervirens |
| For public | Public |
| Visitation | Open, yet restricted during periods of inclimate weather |
| Easiest access | Ancillary road south of the village of Norte Pequeno |
| Geographic detail from Portuguese Army map | |
The Fajã dos Cubres is a permanent debris field, known as a fajã, built from the collapsing cliffs on the northern coast of the civil parish of Ribeira Seca, in the municipality of Calheta, island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
The spit received its name from the seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), a small yellow flowering plant, that is common to the fajã. This species, common along the eastern coast of the United States, spread throughout many of the islands of the archipelago.
The size of the fajã has been attributed to the 9 July 1757 earthquake, considered the most violent tectonic quake that occurred in the Azores. This seismic event was characterized by violent movements of land (landslides, collapses and rockfalls) that were responsible for the creation of several fajãs on the island, such as the Fajã of Ponta Nova, and the growth of pre-existing fajãs. The event, and associated aftershocks, were responsible for the destruction in Fajã dos Vimes, Fajã do São João and Fajã dos Cúberes, where "it moved the land, from the centre above, with luck, in them, there is no sign of buildings." The earthquake produced major damage in Calheta and caused the death of 1034 on the island of São Jorge.
The Hermitage of Nossa Senhora das Lurdes was open to the faithful on 18 October 1908. It was offered to the public by António Faustino Nunes, a native of this fajã and later emigrant to California. To the rear of the church is a tidal well, who some believed its waters were considered miraculous.
During the 1980 earthquake several buildings were damaged.
The fajã is an irregular form, with four small islets, and is heavily influenced by tidal waters, due to the diffusion of salt water into the lagoon. In comparison with the lagoon of the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, there is no canal to the sea, which affects the dynamic of this ecosystem. Morton (1998) identified two areas: one along the west, where the tidal waters rise between 20–30 metres (66–98 ft) (and which the salinity is elevated between 10-26%) and the eastern section, where salinity levels are between 0-6%. This milder salinity even allows the survival of a small population of frog (Rana esculenta).
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Wikipedia