The thermal energy emitted by Teide from 2005 until the conclusion of 2024, totalling 7,930 billion joules (7.93E+15 J), equates to 125 times the energy released from the detonation of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb, which is estimated to be approximately 63 trillion joules.
The Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan) has publicised this data via its social media platforms to facilitate a comparison between the thermal energy dispersed by Mount Teide—equivalent to just over six Hiroshima-style nuclear devices annually—and the elastic energy registered across Tenerife linked with seismic activity over the past 20 years.
Consequently, the cumulative elastic energy on the island of Tenerife from 2005 to 2024 totals 483 million joules, which is modest in comparison to the 7,930 billion joules accumulated solely by Teide.
Without the destructive ramifications of the American weapon, Involcan emphasises that there are energy manifestations “that we do not perceive but which are intrinsic to our volcanic nature.”
“To underscore the significance of volcanic gases in monitoring volcanic activity, we have contrasted the thermal energy associated with emissions from the Teide crater (0.006972 square kilometres -km2-) with the elastic energy linked to earthquakes recorded in Tenerife (2,034 km2) over the past two decades,” elaborates Involcan, clarifying that the figures are in European billions.
Throughout this 20-year timeframe (2005-2024), the thermal energy connected to volcanic gas emissions through the Teide crater “is 16.4 times greater than the elastic energy associated with the earthquakes documented on the Island of Tenerife,” Involcan concludes.
