Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

The Paps

The Paps is a Cretaceous seamount of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the Canary Islands Seamount Province (CISP). Featuring an elongated shape, it has a height of 2,700 metres.

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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379 w
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Source
The Paps
Detail of a CISP's general bathymetric map centered on The Paps (Rivera et al. 2016).
Map
Summit depth1,600 m (5,200 ft)
Height2,700 m (8,900 ft)
Location
LocationNorth Atlantic
GroupCanary Islands Seamount Province
Coordinates25°55′N 20°18′W / 25.92°N 20.30°W / 25.92; -20.301
Geology
Age of rock91.1 ± 0.2 Ma

The Paps is a Cretaceous seamount of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the Canary Islands Seamount Province (CISP).2 Featuring an elongated shape, it has a height of 2,700 metres.

Description

The seamount lies at about 25.92°N 20.30°W,1 about 300 km to the southwest of El Hierro.3 The age of the seamount has been estimated to 91.1 ± 0.2 million years.43 The seamount, whose top rises up to 1,600 m below sea level from a base that stands at 4,300 m below sea level, consists of a main block elongated along a N–S direction, featuring a secondary NW–SE ridge sprouting from the south east of the main edifice.4 It features a surface of 2,080 km2.4

Common features with the neighbouring Drago seamount, such an elongated shape and the presence of several small volcanic cones, suggest both seamounts may share a similar formation process.5

References

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