Seismic swarm south of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands reactivates with more than 40 earthquakes causing panic amongst residents

RESIDENTS in the south of La Palma, in Spain’s Canary Islands, remain on tenterhooks as more than 40 earthquakes have rumbled the area since 8pm on Sunday evening.

The seismic swarm in the south of La Palma, specifically in the municipalities of Fuencaliente and Mazo, has once again increased its activity causing panic among local residents as the current volcanic eruption also followed a strong seismic crisis that took place over 8 days on La Palma Island.

The largest recent quake registered by the National Geographic Institute (IGN) reached a magnitude of 3.4, at a depth of 13 kilometers, in the southwest of Mazo and another to the northeast of Fuencaliente, also of magnitude 3.4, at a depth of 14 kilometers.

In general, the earthquakes are occuring at depth between 7 and 14 kilometres underground, with magnitudes ranging between 2.3 and 3.4 on the Richter Scale.

Before the current volcanic eruption in the Cumbre Vieja national park, authorities on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma warned that the sudden increase in seismic activity could herald a volcanic eruption.

On that occasion, the IGN detected 4,222 tremors in the area prior the eruption.

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