Algar Carvao Super Panorama - Terceira - Azores by Paulo Borges

The Algar do Carvão (“Charcoal Pit”) is located in the central part of Terceira Island
and, reclassified in 2004, is part of the Azores Regional Network of Protected Areas.
The vent of the volcanic pit has 17 by 27 m size and is connected to a peculiar
conduit, that ends in a lake of crystal clear water, around 80 m deep in relation
to the uppermost part of the pit. The lake, which is formed by rainwater, has a
maximum depth of about 15 m and dries up almost completely in summer.
The Algar do Carvão pit exhibits many stalactites and stalagmites of amorphous
silica that can reach about 1 m in length and 40 to 50 cm in diameter, quite probably
the most exuberant, rare and beautiful structures present in the volcanic
caves of the Azores.
The first descending of Algar do Carvão dates back to 1893; however, the first
organized descending took place in 1963. After a great effort carried out by the
“Associação Os Montanheiros”, an association for speleological exploration, it
was possible to open this volcanic pit to the public on December 1st, 1968.
The Algar do Carvão scoria cone, its crater and a significant part of the volcanic
conduit have a remarkable flora, and inside the pit there are several endemic
species of the Azores and Macaronesia fauna, that includes the main population
of an endemic troglobian spider.
ALGAR