The volcanic drill scheduled for Friday, 26 September, in Garachico, which will put the entire island on alert, has already faced its first misinformation.
On Wednesday afternoon, a document titled “Update on Volcanic Activity in Tenerife” began circulating on messaging applications, claiming that “there is a high probability that the situation may evolve into a eruption process in the short term“.
However, according to official sources, this document is part of a communication that will be sent on Friday to some members of the public participating in the drill, which aims to evacuate around 200 people from the old pier area of Garachico, one of the areas most affected during the Trevejo eruption in 1706.
Earthquakes
Although the arrival of this message to the phones of Tenerife residents may cause alarm—especially given that the island experienced over 20 earthquakes in just 24 hours—the information in the document clearly indicates that this is misinformation or, in this instance, a text created for the planned drill.
The text begins by stating there have been almost 1,800 earthquakes since 22 September, that is, in almost two days. However, if we check data from the Canary Island Volcanology Institute (Involcan), the numbers do not even come close.
In fact, between Monday and Tuesday, 22 earthquakes were recorded, while on Wednesday, only one occurred in the La Orotava area.
Ground Deformation
The text that will be sent to citizens as part of the drill also mentions a “clear surface deformation of the ground with a maximum of two centimetres in the last 24 hours in the seismic area.” Furthermore, it notes that this seismicity is directed towards the northwestern part of the island, which is the area “most susceptible to magma ascent.”
Additionally, it also details a “significant increase in CO2 and radon concentration levels in the area.”
Forecast
All this data seems to indicate that a “process of magmatic intrusion is occurring within the volcanic system of the northwestern ridge of Tenerife,” with a “high probability that the situation may evolve into an eruptive process in the short term (days or weeks),” potentially affecting the municipalities of Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, El Tanque, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte, Santiago del Teide, and Guía de Isora.
This information, understandably, may raise alarm among the public. However, it is merely a rumour stemming from the leak of a document intended for the drill taking place on Friday.
