Ochre cliffs by the Atlantic, Mogan, Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is a volcanic island, born from an Atlantic hotspot around 14 million years ago. The cliffs of Mogán, on the southwest coast, expose that origin directly: solidified lava flows, oxidised into ochre and rust tones by millions of years of exposure to sea air. The photo was taken on 4 December 2024 at sunset, the hour when low light makes the volcanic rock glow red and sharpens its striated relief. The Atlantic Ocean, darker and rougher than the Mediterranean, closes the frame at the bottom of the image and gives the scale of these cliffs that drop straight into the water.