Dozens of small earthquakes shake La Palma one more morning | Radio Club Tenerife

Of the numerous seismic events detected on La Palma, more than 1050 earthquakes have been located as of 08:00 am (Canary time) on September 16, 2021, according to information released by the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (INVOLCAN). From 04:18 am (Canary time) on Saturday, September 11, 2021, the Canary Islands Seismic Network, which is managed by the Canary Islands Volcano Institute (INVOLCAN), is registering a new swarm of low-magnitude seismic events in the volcano area from Cumbre Vieja.

The earthquakes that occurred during the night have taken place in Mazo, Fuencaliente, Los Llanos de Aridane and Tazacorte, many of them at 0km depth, according to data released by the National Geographic Institute. The hypocenters are found under the Cumbre Vieja volcano, generally at depths between 9 and 12 km, although on the last day there are some earthquakes located at a depth of less than 5 km. The maximum magnitude observed so far has been 3.4 on the Richter scale.

The image shows the hypocenters of this new swarm in variable color depending on the date of occurrence. The yellow star indicates the strongest earthquake, with magnitude 3.4, registered on September 14 at 07:00 (Canary time). A westward migration of seismicity can be observed in recent days.

In recent years, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has experienced 10 seismic swarms, including the one that began this past Saturday (1 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 5 in 2020 and 3 in 2021). The earthquakes in this last swarm are shallower than in previous seismic swarms, when the depth ranged between 20 and 30 km. Undoubtedly, the current seismic swarm represents a significant change in the activity of the Cumbre Vieja volcano and is related to a magmatic intrusion process under the Island of La Palma.

The current situation of the volcanic traffic light is in yellow for the municipalities of El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane, Mazo and Fuencaliente de la Palma; therefore, INVOCAN recalls that it is essential to be attentive to the information provided by the corresponding Civil Protection authorities.