CAPPELLO, A., ZANON, V., DEL NEGRO, C., FERREIRA, T., QUEIROZ, G. (2015) - Exploring lava flow hazards at Pico, Azores Islands (Portugal). Terra Nova, 27, 156-161.

​Pico, the youngest island of the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), is characterized by a central volcano and a 30-km-long fissure zone. Its eruption rate is the highest of the Azores islands, with more than 35 eruptions in the last 2000 years. Here, we estimate the lava-flow hazard for Pico Island by combining the vent opening probability derived from the spa- tial distribution of eruptive fissures, the classes of expected eruptions inferred from the physical and chemical characteris- tics of historical eruptions, and the lava-flow paths simulated by the MAGFLOW model. The most likely area to host new eruptions is along a WNW–ESE trend centred on the central volcano, with the highest hazard affecting the two main resi- dential zones of Lajes do Pico and Madalena. Our analysis is the first attempt to assess the lava-flow hazard for Pico Island, and may have important implications for decision-mak- ing in territorial management and future land-use planning.​