Teide Volcano’s Seismic Activity In The Spotlight

A bid of seismic activity astir nan Teide volcano, Spain’s highest peak, has raised concerns astir a imaginable volcanic eruption, pinch experts informing that nan land could look activity successful nan short to mean term. 

On August 30, astir 100 mini earthquakes struck nan bluish broadside of Teide betwixt 5am and 6.30pm section time, making this nan latest successful a bid of seismic events that person intensified interest since early August.

These events, known arsenic “seismic swarms”, are not caller to Tenerife. Since 2016, astatine slightest six specified episodes person been recorded, pinch nan past 2 occurring successful August 2025 alone. On August 6 and 7 earthquakes were felt astatine depths of 8 to 14 kilometres, followed by complete 700 hybrid seismic events. The August 30 swarm had complete 90 quakes successful nether 90 minutes and has heightened liking successful nan area.

What’s causing seismic activity astir nan Teide?

The events person been attributed to caller magma intrusion and nan reactivation of hydrothermal systems, which create overpressure arsenic temperatures rise. While this magma usually stalls respective kilometres underground, volcanologists pass that we whitethorn beryllium adjacent to a caller eruption.

Although nan Teide volcano itself has been dormant for astir 800 years, it is still active, pinch a caller emergence successful carbon dioxide emissions detected astatine its crater. The past eruption successful Tenerife occurred successful 1909 astatine Chinyero, westbound of Teide, but nan island’s volcanic systems stay ever-changing.

The August 30 seismic activity, it has been speculated, is very astir apt attributable to magma activity conscionable 4 kilometres beneath nan surface, which mixes pinch h2o successful nan mountain, creating accrued pressure.

Is location an contiguous consequence nan Teide volcano will erupt?

For nan moment, Tenerife remains astatine alert level green, according to INFOVOLCAN connected X, though each eyes are connected nan wave of subterranean movements, particularly connected nan northbound broadside of El Teide. In La Palma, however, nan alert level is presently marked “yellow”.

“Currently, nan volcanic postulation lights of Tenerife, El Hierro, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria are successful ‘green’; therefore, residents and visitors of these islands tin transportation retired their activities pinch absolute normality. More than 2 years aft nan eruption connected nan land of La Palma ended, nan geophysical and geochemical parameters person not yet returned to normal; therefore, its volcanic postulation ray is successful “yellow”. This business implies that residents and visitors must proceed to beryllium attentive to nan communications of nan civilian protection authorities,” nan Instituto Volcanologico de Canarias announced connected their Facebook page.