The National Geographic Institute (IGN) have reported an unusual seismic swarm in the Las Cañadas del Teide national park early this morning, Thursday. Between 4:00am and 7:20am, over 500 microearthquakes were detected southwest of Pico Viejo, an area known for seismic activity but not to this extent.
This latest swarm is similar to those recorded in October 2016, June 2019, and June and July 2022, according to IGN data. The activity began with 10 small quakes, all measuring below 1.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, at very shallow depths of 8 to 12 kilometres. These were followed by long-duration signals without clearly defined seismic phases but with a high-frequency content.
The sequence escalated into hundreds of low-magnitude tremors occurring at almost regular intervals, described by the IGN as resembling a “drumbeat.”
While the weakest quakes were detected by automated systems, their parameters were too faint to meet the quality requirements for inclusion in the official IGN seismic catalogue.
The IGN has confirmed it will continue closely monitoring the area for any further developments. Though activity is not unusual for this geologically active zone, the volume of activity is, and highlights the importance of vigilance in regions surrounding active volcanoes such as Mount Teide.
This seismic swarm raises curiosity but not immediate alarm, as no significant changes in volcanic activity have been reported so far.
