Volcanoes and lava flows
Montsacopa, Croscat, Santa Margarida, Rocanegra, Sant Marc and Puig Roig.
Unparalleled scenic beauty
There are six main volcanoes to visit in La Garrotxa: Montsacopa, Croscat, Santa Margarida, Rocanegra, Sant Marc and Puig Roig, we will tell you about each of them:
Montsacopa Volcano
Located in the middle of the city of Olot, it has a circular and centered crater, 120 m in diameter, of great scientific and pedagogical interest, with old extraction areas (closed in the sixties of the twentieth century). It is an excellent viewpoint of Olot and the volcanic area of the Garrotxa.
Santa Margarida Volcano
Located between Olot and Santa Pau, it is a mixed volcano, which had eruptive phases of Strombolian type, and also phreatomagmatic explosive type that opened a large circular crater, inside which is the Romanesque chapel of Santa Margarida de la Cot. Except for the crater, the rest of the volcano is covered by forest.
Rocanegra Volcano
Located a short distance from the Santa Margarida volcano, it has a volcanic cone with a horseshoe-shaped crater that is of great interest for its morphology and rocks. It also has an old quarry, which can be visited, where you can see the pyroclasts (lapilli and blocks) that formed its volcanic cone.
Sant Marc Volcano
Located near Sant Feliu de Pallerols, it allows to observe the formation of a volcanic cone from the accumulation of pyroclasts, which can be seen in its quarry.
Puig-Roig Volcano
Located a few meters from the Sant Marc volcano, it has an old basalt quarry, the rock formed from the cooling of a lava flow.
Lava flows
In La Garrotxa you can visit spectacular lava flows, especially in Sant Joan les Fonts and Castellfollit de la Roca.Sant Joan les FontsIn the area of Molí Fondo you can see up to three lava flows that came down the river consecutively, from different eruptive foci, and formed columns, slabs and even a blister. The buildings of the village are mainly built with volcanic material. The pavement and furniture of the old town is made of basalt, a rock formed when the lava cooled.Castellfollit de la RocaIts basaltic cliff of 40 meters high was formed with the lava from two different lava flows, which when cooled gave rise to columns and slabs. The medieval village center, with narrow streets, squares and viewpoints, is built with volcanic material.