The front of the active lava flows in La Laguna to the north of the flow field are currently practically stopped, although there still remains a high flux of lava feeding these flows, which is leading to their widening and thickening. Nonetheless, the evacuation ordered on the 20^th October remains in place. The latest damage assessment puts 845 hectares of land affected by the lava flows, and according to the land registry, 1,280 buildings have been damaged or destroyed including 1,030 residential buildings. However, data from Copernicus EMS estimates a much larger number of buildings affected. 258 hectares of agricultural land has been affected so far, including 144 hectares of banana plantations.

Earthquake activity was again increased, with almost all events recorded at intermediate (10-15 km) depth. 140 events were recorded, peaking at 4.2 mbLg. SO2 emissions remained high, at 31,600 tons per day, although this is an underestimate, and the ash and gas plume reached 2800 m.  The tremor remains high, with pulses of intensification. Deformation remains stable at stations closest to the eruption, although a slight regional deflation is still recorded further from the eruption. However, SO2 concentrations are higher than previous days, with high concentrations being recorded especially at the Los Llanos, El Paso, Tazacorte and Puntagorda stations. PM10 concentrations however have decreased, and the daily threshold (50 μg/m³) was not exceeded at any stations throughout the day.

The earthquakes recorded in La Palma in the last 3 days, showing that events have become concentrated at shallow depths. Image credit: IGN Spain

Sources: Government of the Canary Islands, PEVOLCA, Involcan, IGN, DSN, Cabildo La Palma, 112 Canarias, Tolouse VAAC, Copernicus EMS