Current Reports of volcanic unrest in the Canary Islands
Introduction
It is important to refer to official sites for information in an emergency. The main sites to find information around volcanic unrest are:
Twitter accounts of the Islands’ Cabildos:
Cabildo de Lanzarote
Cabildo de El Hierro
Cabildo de La Palma
Cabildo de Tenerife
Other groups also cover volcanic unrest:
Current status of each island
VTL - Current volcanic traffic level by Ajay Geotenerife
For an explanation of Traffic Light System, click here
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.
Most recent report
A summarised version of the most recent report available through the IGN seismic catalogue, relevant social media, and news articles. You can find a comprehensive timeline at the bottom of this page.
Timeline of volcanic unrest
Drag the timeline along to see previous updates
Microseismic activity below Adeje
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In the early hours of 27 May 2020, a series of earthquakes occurred below the area approximately 8 km north of Adeje and 6 km southeast of Guía de Isora on Tenerife. There were 142 detected earthquakes, with 42 of these located. The series began at 01:46 and the located earthquakes had magnitudes between -0.1 and 2.9 mbLg and depths between 7 and 10 km. Negative magnitudes occur when an earthquake is so small that it is below what was originally set as magnitude zero when the earthquake magnitude scale was created. Since then, our technology has dramatically improved, and thus, we can now detect smaller earthquakes with better technology. The largest magnitude, 2.9 event, at 03:51 was weakly felt in the town of Adeje with an intensity of II (EMS98).
This activity is part of the seismic activity that has been recorded in recent years, with almost constant activity characterized so far by low-magnitude events related to the magmatic activity below the island. The Adeje seismic station is a broadband sensor located in a borehole at 30 m depth and, therefore, has a very low noise level, allowing IGN to monitor the activity with precision.
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En la madrugada del 27 de mayo de 2020, se produjo una serie de terremotos bajo la zona situada aproximadamente a 8 km al norte de Adeje y a 6 km al sureste de Guía de Isora, en Tenerife. Se detectaron 142 terremotos, de los cuales 42 fueron localizados. La serie comenzó a la 01:46 y los terremotos localizados tuvieron magnitudes entre -0,1 y 2,9 mbLg y profundidades entre 7 y 10 km. Las magnitudes negativas se producen cuando un terremoto es tan pequeño que está por debajo de lo que originalmente se estableció como magnitud cero cuando se creó la escala de magnitud de los terremotos. Desde entonces, nuestra tecnología ha mejorado drásticamente y, por lo tanto, ahora podemos detectar terremotos más pequeños con mejor tecnología. El evento de magnitud 2,9 más grande, a las 03:51, se sintió débilmente en la ciudad de Adeje con una intensidad de II (EMS98).
Esta actividad forma parte de la actividad sísmica que se ha registrado en los últimos años, con una actividad casi constante caracterizada hasta ahora por eventos de baja magnitud relacionados con la actividad magmática bajo la isla. La estación sísmica de Adeje es un sensor de banda ancha situado en un pozo a 30 m de profundidad y, por lo tanto, tiene un nivel de ruido muy bajo, lo que permite al IGN monitorizar la actividad con precisión.
Teide degassed more than usual June-October 2016
🇬🇧 🇺🇸 From June through August 2016 there was a change in degassing at Teide, including increased H₂S (hydrogen sulfide) emission. On the 2nd of October, a seismic swarm occurred over five hours, with at least 766 earthquakes detected. The swarm was followed by an increase in diffuse CO2 emission and by an increase in volcano-tectonic seismicity. These changes suggest magma was rising deep below and releasing fluids into the shallow hydrothermal system.
🇪🇸 🇮🇨 De junio a agosto de 2016 se produjo un cambio en la desgasificación del Teide, que incluyó un aumento de las emisiones de H₂S (sulfuro de hidrógeno). El 2 de octubre se produjo un enjambre sísmico durante cinco horas, con al menos 766 terremotos detectados. El enjambre fue seguido por un aumento de las emisiones difusas de CO2 y un aumento de la sismicidad vulcanotectónica. Estos cambios sugieren que el magma estaba subiendo desde las profundidades y liberando fluidos en el sistema hidrotermal superficial.
References
D’Auria, L., Barrancos, J., Padilla, G.D., Pérez, N.M., Hernández, P.A., Melián, G., Padrón, E., Asensio‐Ramos, M. and García‐Hernández, R., 2019. The 2016 Tenerife (Canary Islands) long‐period seismic swarm. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124(8), pp.8739-8752.
Padrón, E., Pérez, N.M., Hernández, P.A., Melián, G., Asensio‐Ramos, M., D’Auria, L., Rodríguez, F., Alonso, M., Amonte, C., Padilla, G.D. and Barrancos, J., 2021. Changes in diffuse degassing from the summit crater of Teide volcano (Tenerife, Canary Islands) prior to the 2016 Tenerife long‐period seismic swarm. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126(3), p.e2020JB020318.