Príncipe is situated in shallower water, rising 3000 meters from the seafloor to 948 meters above sea level at Pico do Príncipe. The island is built on a base of palagonite breccia, which includes pieces of basalt that was part of a tholeiitic magma series which developed deep below water. Basalt covers the north of the island, while tephrite and phonolite are common in the south.