CONCLUSIONS

 

The impacts of the landslides in the landscape in Tenerife and El Hierro are very important. Also, significant uplift and subsidence movements affects the islands, especially Tenerife, El Hierro y La Palma, but landslides and uplift are not the main factor because they are controlled by the volcanic activity in the origin and in the posterior evolution of the landscape.

 

The impacts of landslides have over the landscape are very clear in some landslides with clear cliffs and backscars (Güímar, La Orotava, El Golfo, Las Playas II), but in other landslides the impacts do not exist due to the evolution of the landscape and the interaction with the other processes as erosion processes , volcanism and land movements.

 

Therefore, landslides have been located with the information obtained of slope and hydrological network combined with seafloor studies of different researchers.

 

The slope is the main natural variable that has been used in this research, and it shows the geomorphological evidences of the landslides. Also the new volcanic activity, the uplift in the north of Tenerife and hydrological network has confirmed some landslides areas and the important role of the volcanic activity.

 

The slope and the hydrological network are affecting the land use, but in the analysis between one area with landslide effects and one without landslides, the land use is very similar, but the distribution has some important differences. The slope is the main variable affecting the land uses because in the zones with high slope the occupation is limited, and the vegetation is predominant. Therefore new volcanic areas have been confirmed with the occupation because the vegetation is not in these new areas.

 

Moreover, land use is different between some landslides. Landslides with boundaries have an occupation very similar and the landslides without boundaries have a completely different occupation between them.

 

According these paragraphs; considered landslides as main factor in the land use will be a mistake because landslides have not the same characteristics in all areas. Consequently, landslides must to be considered as an agent in the land use of both islands and in the distribution of the societies, but the influence of the uplift and mainly volcanic activity are very relevant in the landslides areas.

 

In conclusion, landslides by themselves cannot be considered the main factor in the geomorphology of the Tenerife and El Hierro, but this geomorphological element combined with land movements (uplift and subsidence) and volcanic activity, are the three factors that are shaping the landscape in both islands, considering the volcanism the main agent in the origin of the landslides and in the post-landslides events.