16 Sep La Palma update 16th September 2021: Seismicity continues

Miguel Ángel Morcuende, head of the Environment and Emergencies service of the Government of La Palma, has been appointed technical director of PEVOLCA and will be responsible for directing and coordinating all actions carried out under the Plan itself. To meet the telecommunications demands that an emergency could bring, the government has decided to upgrade the existing Canary Islands Emergency and Security Network (RESCAN).

15 Sep La Palma update 15th September 2021: Seismic swarm continues

As the seismic swarm continues to intensify, PEVOLCA maintains the yellow traffic light in the municipalities of El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane, Mazo and Fuencaliente, although comments that there is still no evidence of an imminent eruption. Over the last couple of days, the seismicity has become displaced to the northwest relative to the focus at the beginning of the swarm, and the average depth has decreased and is now between 6-8 km. Additionally, today some lower magnitude earthquakes have been detected much nearer the surface (1-3 km).

14 Sep La Palma update 14th September 2021: Seismic swarm intensifies

Today, a cluster of 11 earthquakes at 9-14 km were recorded in the south of La Palma close to the Cumbre Vieja ridge, starting at 3:18 am local time. The largest event so far was a mbLg 1.5 earthquake and 11 km depth. This new seismic swarm is the first that has been detected since earthquake swarms in June and January 2021, which were largely clustered in similar areas but at depths deeper than 20 km. The swarm represents the 9th seismic swarm in southern La Palma since anomalous seismic activity began in the area in October 2017, which is thought to be related to magmatic reactivation of Cumbre Vieja. The shallow depth of these latest earthquakes, as well as the consistent locations with other swarms, are the most significant features, although the timescales nor the potential occurrence of any magmatic reactivation cannot be determined in the short-medium term.

13 Sep La Palma update 13th september 2021: PEVOLCA Activated

Today, in the wake of the intensifying seismic swarm on La Palma that began on the 11th September, the Government of the Canary Islands have activated the Scientific Committee of the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Attention to Emergencies due to Volcanic Risk (PEVOLCA). Alongside this activation, the volcanic traffic light alert system has been raised from green to yellow in the municipalities of Fuencaliente, Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Mazo. The yellow traffic light allows for an intensification of communication to the population, volcano and seismic monitoring, as well as increased surveillance.

12 Sep La Palma update 12th September 2021: New seismic swarm continues

The new earthquake swarm on the south of La Palma has continued and today significantly intensified, both in the frequency and magnitude of the earthquakes. There were 208 earthquakes from 7-18 km depths, with the vast majority between 9-12 km depth. The largest event so far was a mbLg 3.4 earthquake and 9 km depth. This new seismic swarm is the first that has been detected since earthquake swarms in June and January 2021, which were largely clustered in similar areas but at depths deeper than 20 km. The swarm represents the 9th seismic swarm in southern La Palma since anomalous seismic activity began in the area in October 2017, which is thought to be related to magmatic reactivation of Cumbre Vieja. The shallow depth of these latest earthquakes as well as the increasing intensities are the most important aspects of this swarm thus far. Although the possibility or timescales of magmatic reactivation cannot be predicted, the likelihood of changes would increase if the swarm became shallower and more intense. Nonetheless, previous eruptions in the Canary Islands, including the 2011 El Hierro eruption were preceded by lengthy periods of strong seismicity at similar depths.