fajã

File:SJO CAL Ribeira Seca Faja Caldeira Santo Cristo.JPG platform of {{ILL|Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo|pt}}, with its emblematic lagoon]]

File:El_Tablado_5.jpg, Spain.]]

File:La Palma lava flows into the sea ESA23490653.jpeg in La Palma, the lava flow falls from the cliffs on the west into the Atlantic and forms a lava delta as a {{lang|es-IC|fajana}}.]]

Fajãs are created from collapsing cliffs or lava flows and are identifiable along the coast as "flat" surfaces, relative to other geological forms.{{cite web |url=http://www.netglobers.com/europe/the-azores-the-thousand-and-one-geological-wonders-archipelago-37754.html |title=The Azores, the thousand and one geological wonders' archipelago |location= |publisher=NetGlobers/Europ Assistance |date=9 October 2013 |access-date=23 March 2014 |first=Ségolène |last=Deidda |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225021205/http://www.netglobers.com/europe/the-azores-the-thousand-and-one-geological-wonders-archipelago-37754.html |archive-date=25 December 2013 }} Tides and tidal currents have only minor influence on coastal morphology, and therefore sedimentation and deposits there became permanent.

Composed of fertile soils, these microclimates allow the cultivation of a variety of staple and exotic plants, such as coffee.

{{See also|List of fajãs in the Azores}}

These debris fields exist throughout the archipelago of the Azores but are concentrated on the island of São Jorge. The island is volcanic, with cliffs that run down to the coast, and fajãs that extend into the sea as a result of these cliffs collapsing. The long fetch of the Azores is a high-energy wave climate, and the steep submarine slopes and absence of shallow shelves produce patterns of wave shoaling, refraction, and diffraction, especially during storms. This leads to fragmentation of the coast into several dynamic cells whose sediment alongshore is limited by impermeable boundaries.

There are fajãs on both sides of the island: along the southern coast are the notable fajãs of Velas, Vimes, Bodes, Além, São João, Cardoso, and Alabaçal, while in the north a succession of much smaller fajãs result from the collapse of land cut by small ravines.

• The fajãs of Caldeira do Santo Cristo have an underwater cave and an open lagoon
• The Fajã dos Cubres, with a closed lagoon ecosystem and a crystalline lake
• The Fajã do Ouvidor is a dendritic fajã extending into the sea, used by fishermen.

Although many of these fajãs have been abandoned, mills and fountains remain iconic outposts along hiking trails.

The fajãs are fertile and, historically used to cultivate yams, maize, and vegetables, although coffee, vineyards, and tropical fruits were also grown there. Several fajãs are scattered along the northern and southern coasts, including the fajãs of Santo Cristo and Cubres, with their distinctive saltwater lagoons. One of the more unique harvests occurs at Fajã of Caldeira do Santo Cristo, where the lagoon supports cockles: this makes Santo Cristo a popular destination for the unique gastronomy of the Azores.

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;Sources

• {{citation |url=http://ssudl.solent.ac.uk/2378/1/Coastal_hazards_of_Faja_do_Calhau_(Sao_Miguel_-_Azores)_-_a_first_approach.pdf |contribution=Coastal hazards of Fajã do Calhau (São Miguel - Azores): a first approach |first1=G. |last1=Lameiras |first2=J. |last2=Fontiela |first3=P. |last3=Borges |first4=H. |last4=Calado |first5=O. |last5=Vieira |first6=B. |last6=Rangel |first7=A. |last7=Gallagher |year=2009 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |publisher=Journal of Coastal Research |pages=827–831 |title=Proceedings of the 10th International Coastal Symposium}}

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Category:Coastal and oceanic landforms

Category:Portuguese words and phrases