The Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) A seismic swarm has been recorded on Teide since 5 am on Tuesday, these are hybrid events of very low magnitude, which does not imply a greater chance of a rash.
Involcan reports on its social networks that the Canarian Seismic Network operated by this entity has identified at least 350 small seismic events up to 9 am.
This seismic swarm has characteristics very similar to those that were recorded in Tenerife on October 2, 2016, June 14, 2019 and June 10, 2022.
The most likely origin of this type of swarm is the movement of fluids such as steam, gas or water, inside the hydrothermal system of the El Teide volcano, adds Involcan.
Seismic swarm on Teide last June
The National Geographic Institute (IGN) and the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) recorded during the early hours of last Friday, June 17, a seismic swarm of low magnitude in The Cañadas del Teidespecifically to the southwest of Pico Viejo, where some 450 earthquakes were detected, also called hybrid events. A succession of tremors that was repeated the next day in the same area, but to a lesser extent -approximately 25 earthquakes-, the largest being magnitude 2. As for depth, they ranged between 13 and 26 kilometers.
The scientific managers of the Archipelago consider an origin in the movement of fluids such as steam, gas or water inside the hydrothermal system of the volcano. Hence, on this occasion earthquakes are called hybrid events. Likewise, they specify that these episodes do not imply a greater probability of an eruption in the short or medium term, but they do emphasize that Tenerife “is a volcanically active island.”
But this has not been the only time that the environment of Teide has roared. In fact, experts agree that May 2004 a series of earthquakes evidenced a change in the activity of the volcano, thus awakening the sleeping giant. According to what DIARIO DE AVISOS published at the time, the announcement of the possible eruption of a volcano calm between Las Cañadas and Santiago del Teide alarmed the citizens, who had been informed for days of low-magnitude tremors located in several municipalities on the island. In addition, the Technical Institute of Renewable Energies (ITER) also observed an increase in the mass of anhydride carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide emitted into the atmosphere at volcanic peaks. “Something is happening,” assured the members of the Scientific Committee for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Volcanic Phenomena who met regularly.
On May 11, 2004, an earthquake of 2.7 degrees on the Richter scale, which had its epicenter in Icod de los Vinos, spread panic in practically the entire north of the island. Fortunately, it did not cause personal or materials, but the inhabitants of the aforementioned town, as well as of Garachico, La Guancha, San Juan de la Rambla, Los Silos, Los Realejos, Buenavista del Norte, Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava confirmed through numerous calls the movement of earth from between 15 and 20 seconds that they had noticed after 8:30 p.m. The unusual seismic activity detected on the northern slope of Tenerife was latent until late that Tuesday night, when it was felt for the first time.
