Abstract: | More than two hundred new analyses of basaltic rocks from the Canary Islands are presented. The available data show that the earlier successions have similar variation trends throughout the archipelago; these trends represent all the intermediate types between basic differentiates (oceanites, ankaramites) and more salic differentiates (trachy-basalts, hawaiites). In the more recent volcanic series, the study shows that there is a magmatic diversification with different variation trends in the Eastern than in the Central Canary Islands. In the latter the alkaline character becomes stronger in the successive periods of volcanic activity which have been established in each island. In the Eastern islands the basaltic evolution is, on the contrary, towards basaltic rocks with tholeiitic affinities. |