HOLIDAYMAKERS and locals across the Canary Islands were unexpectedly shaken earlier today after a 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck between the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The quake hit at 12.26pm local time on Thursday afternoon before a 2.0 magnitude aftershock rumbled just ten minutes later.
According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the tremor occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres and was felt across Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The latest shock comes just days after the president of Tenerife reassured residents that the island is ‘more prepared than ever’ to deal with volcanic activity after a seismic storm underneath Mount Teide triggered fears of an impending eruption.
More than 6,000 mini earthquakes have been recorded in and around the volcano in just three weeks, marking one of the island’s most active seismic periods in years.
According to seismologists, however, the latest tremor is unrelated to recent activity near Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain with a peak of 3,715 metres.
This afternoon’s quake originated in an area of high seismic activity near the Enmedio volcano, an underwater opening located around 500 metres below sea level.
The area normally experiences between 400 and 500 earthquakes per year at depths of up to 40 kilometres.
Of these, between five and seven every year exceed a magnitude of 2.5.
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