São Jorge
- ISS004-E-10891
- 30 April 2002
- 16:04 UTC
São Jorge is an elongated and narrow island located in the centre of the central group of islands 18 km northeast from Pico and 37 km southwest from Terceira. With a length of 56 km (from Ponta dos Rosais in the northwest to Ponta do Topo in the southeast) and with a maximun width of only 8 km, São Jorge has an area of 246 km².
Created by successive volcanic eruptions occurring along a straight line, its central platform has an average altitude of 700 m. The coast is steep, almost vertical, particularly in the north, although the cliffs are interrupted by small coastal flat areas known as fajãs that have formed where the cliffs have eroded.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
