Something is happening on Teide: 500 earthquakes are detected in a worrying seismic swarm

Tenerife It is a seismologically active island. Low-intensity earthquakes are frequent, but it is “anomalous” for them to occur 500 earthquakes in just two hours.

According to inform the National Geographic Institute (IGN), between 04:00 and 07:20 (UTC) on November 14, there has been anomalous microseismic activity located in the Cañadas del Teide, southwest of Pico Viejo, on the island of Tenerife, with at least 500 earthquakes detected

The activity began with a series of 10 earthquakes of magnitude less than 1.1 (mbLg), between 8 and 12 km deep. Then a long series of hundreds of events of small and similar magnitude followed one another, occurring at almost regular intervals of time, in the form of a “drumbeat.”

500 earthquakes in two hours on Teide

According to the Canary Islands Volcanological InstituteINVOLVE, This seismic swarm is anomalous, but not worrying. At least, for now. It is not related to the volcanic eruption of La Palma.

As INVOLCAN explains on social networks“these events are not usual for the island of Tenerife, but they do not represent a relevant anomaly either. In fact, as of 2017, at least 5 swarms of hybrid seismic events have been recorded in Tenerife (October 2, 2016, 14 June 2019, June 16, 2022, July 12, 2022 and November 14, 2024).

According to INVOLCAN, a seismic swarm is always anomalous, but It is only worrying if it happens for several days. For now, the last one started and stopped yesterday.

These small earthquakes “are directly related to the flow of hydrothermal fluids (water, gas and steam) inside a volcano.”

It must be remembered that Teide is still an active volcano. In fact, INVOLCAN itself indicates that the probability of a volcanic eruption occurring in the next 50 years is 39.35%.

Fortunately, this seismic swarm “does not indicate a greater probability of a volcanic eruption in Tenerife in the short and medium term.”

Volcanologists emphasize that these mini earthquakes have occurred in Tenerife all their lives, and are not detectable by people. Now there are instruments to detect themand that is why they attract more attention.

The seismic swarm of 500 earthquakes detected on Teide, in just two hours, is an anomalous eventbut it is not worrying, according to experts. It is within the norm on what is an active volcanic island.

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