Current Reports of volcanic unrest in the Canary islands

Introduction

The Canary Islands have had a lot of volcanic activity over millions of years, and some of the islands are still active today; therefore, there will likely be another eruption at some point, but it is near-impossible to predict exactly when, where, or how big it will be. Scientists closely watch the volcanoes to understand their normal “background” activity so that they can identify when unusual volcanic behaviour might indicate that an eruption could be on the way. In this page, we hope to describe who the main playersare  in the monitoring of volcanic unrest of the islands, up-to-date unrest reports in the timeline to keep you informed, and reports of unrest from the last 20 years.

Most recent report

A summarised version of the most recent report available through the IGN seismic catalogue, relevant social media, and news articles.

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  • 2 seismic swarms recorded under the Teide-Pico Viejo complex

    🇬🇧 🇺🇸 The 1st swarm was recorded by IGN from 21:30 on the 6th of August through to 00:10 on the 7th of August, amounting to more than 55 earthquakes from 8-14km depth, with the maximum magnitude reaching 1.5 mbLg.

    The 2nd swarm started at 02:50 on the 7th of August and continued until 07:30 that morning. Location of this event is difficult to pinpoint however they coincide with the area of the first swarm.

    These events likely reflect the movement of hydrothermal fluids beneath the surface but do not indicate an increased likelihood of an eruption. Read more here

    🇪🇸 🇮🇨 El primer enjambre fue registrado por el IGN desde las 21:30 del 6 de agosto hasta las 00:10 del 7 de agosto, con más de 55 terremotos de entre 8 y 14 km de profundidad y una magnitud máxima de 1,5 mbLg.

    El segundo enjambre comenzó a las 02:50 del 7 de agosto y continuó hasta las 07:30 de esa misma mañana. La ubicación de este evento es difícil de determinar con precisión, pero coincide con la zona del primer enjambre.

    Estos eventos probablemente reflejan el movimiento de fluidos hidrotermales bajo la superficie, pero no indican una mayor probabilidad de erupción.

    Más información en IGN

The traffic light system

The Pevolca scientific committee debates the latest available monitoring data, collected by IGN and INVOLCAN, to inform PEVOLCA decision makers.  If the traffic light level is changed, this triggers the corresponding emergency management plan. The most important aspect to remember is that the published traffic light colour represents the status of emergency plans being implemented and does not necessarily reflect the current volcanic activity accurately. The table below describes the volcanic traffic light level used by Pevolca, adapted from VolRiskMac (2023)

Colour State Volcanological parameters Response
Green Pre-Alert Normal volcanological parameters Population maintain their normal lives
Yellow Alert Increased volcanological signals such as seismicity, gas measurements, and ground deformation Information to the population, surveillance measures and monitoring of volcanic and seismic activity are intensified
Orange Maximum Alert Volcanological parameters suggest an imminent eruption Preventative evacuations and residents should make themselves available to authorities
Red Emergency Volcanic eruption is occurring and may pose a significant risk to the population Total evacuation of the population in affected areas

IGN Earthquake visualiser

The colours in this interactive map do NOT correspond to the Volcanic traffic level above. The most recent earthquake is within the flashing red circle. Yellow circles are earthquakes with a magnitude less than 2, orange between 2-3, red between 3-4, and dark red is a magnitude of more than 4. IGN Spain uses the mbLg, which measures the body wave magnitude, uses a logarithmic scale, and this scale is suited for measuring earthquakes close to their epicentre.

Full timeline of volcanic unrest