by complex volcanological events, the current landmass is dominated by the crater of its central stratovolcano with relatively gently sloping flanks, showing little sign of major erosion. The island was formed from several geomorphological structures resulting from volcanism and other tectonic forces: The nature of the stratovolcano structure results in an island that converges at the central Caldera Volcanic Complex, although the highest point occurs along the southern rim, at the peak of Cabeço Gordo (1,043 m above sea level). The Caldeira (Caldera) is almost circular, 2000 m perimeter, with a 400 m depth below the summit of Cabeço Gordo (almost 570 m above sea level). Its center is broken by water marshes, thickets, and minor cinder cones, and surrounded by almost vertical cliffs with a diverse vegetation, both endemic or invasive to Macaronesia. It is constituted by pyroclastic material, pumitic projectiles, phreatic and phreatomagmatic deposits and examples of pyroclastic flows and lahars. The Pedro Miguel Graben, located in the island's northeast, is characterized by an extensive fault system, showing the remnants of the original Ribeirinha Central Volcano that formed the island. In the southeast, the Horta Platform is characterized by low altitude projectiles and extensive lava flows. Several strombolian and the surtseyan cones, such as Monte da Guia, cover the area occupied by the island's main urban center. The Capelo Volcanic Complex is the most recent geomorphological feature, composed of a linear series of scoria cones, resulting from basaltic volcanism of low explosivity. The last eruption occurred along Costa da Nau and Ponta dos Caplinhos, near the small parish of Capelo on September 27, 1957. At first, a small "Ilha Nova" (new island) formed off the coast, quickly disappearing. During a subsequent eruption a cone and a small isthmus formed off the coast and then volcanic activity dissipated. The volcano became active again on December 16, 1957; this lasted until May 12, 1958 and connected the islet with Faial, effectively enlarging the island by 2.4 km2 and extending the Ponta dos Capelinhos into the western ocean. The mineral fayalite is named for this island, having been first identified and described here in 1840. It is an iron-rich expression within the olivine family. Climate Faial has a humid subtropical climate with some Mediterranean influences, oceanic at higher altitudes. Average temperature is around , at daytime and at nighttime. It has very mild winters for its latitude, in part due to