Fewer earthquakes in La Palma, but the land has risen 10 cm

Published on September 17, 2021
La PalmaNews from La Palma
volcanic activity la palma 2021
Update on the volcanic activity in La Palma, Canary Islands

The Scientific Committee reports that there is a decrease in the number of earthquakes and in their magnitude as well, but that the land deformation has increased to 10 cm.

The Scientific Committee of the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Attention to Emergencies due to Volcanic Risk (PEVOLCA), meeting today, has recommended to the Government to keep the volcanic traffic light in yellow in the Cumbre Vieja area, covering the municipalities of Fuencaliente , Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Mazo, as it cannot be ruled out that he volcanic activity will intensify in the short term. The traffic light will be revised in line with the evolution of the process.

According to experts, in recent hours the record of seismic activity has continued, verifying a decrease in the number of earthquakes and in their magnitude. Shallow seismicity (1-3 km) of low magnitude continues, but in the last 12 hours also seismic activities at intermediate depths (4-5 km) have been detected. The deformation of the soil has increased reaching an accumulated value of 10 cm, very localized in the proximity of the area where the earthquakes happen.

The committee explains that the process continues and may have a rapid evolution in the short term, with the occurrence of felt earthquakes of greater intensity being expected.

How many earthquakes have been detected so far in La Palma, in the area of the Cumbre Vieja volcano?

Thanks to the use of automatic analysis systems, the Canary Islands Seismic Network, which is managed by the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), has been able to detect from 1:00 a.m. (Canarian time) on Friday, September 10 an until 7:00 p.m. (Canarian time), September 16, 2021, more than 20,650 earthquakes. Most of them are so small that it has not even been possible to locate them.

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