Nine small earthquakes recorded near Mount Teide
Nine minor earthquakes were detected in the early hours of this morning (Monday) in the Pico Viejo area, close to Mount Teide at Tenerife’s summit, according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN). All the events were recorded in the municipality of Guía de Isora in the south west of Tenerife, with the most recent tremor logged at 8:16am on Monday.
The quakes were small in scale, with magnitudes ranging from 0.5 to 1.7 on the Richter Scale, occurring at depths of 10 to 16 kilometres. These levels fall well within the normal range of background seismicity that the island experiences throughout the year.
Experts from the IGN told the EFE news agency that this zone, located between Teide and Pico Viejo, is one of the most seismically active parts of Tenerife. The island’s volcanic nature means that small clusters of earthquakes are common, often appearing in short pulses before subsiding.
Such episodes have been recorded regularly over the past decade, with occasional increases in micro-tremors that reflect natural readjustments in the volcanic system deep underground.
Seismologists emphasise that these events do not indicate an elevated risk for residents or visitors. Low-magnitude quakes of this type are typical of volcanic islands and rarely produce surface effects. As on many previous occasions, none of today’s tremors were felt by the population.
Tenerife’s monitoring network is one of the most comprehensive in Spain, with continuous real-time surveillance of seismic, volcanic, and gas-emission indicators. Authorities maintain that all parameters remain within normal ranges and that the island continues to operate under a green, or low-risk, alert level.
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