An unusual spike in microseismic activity has been observed southwest of Pico Viejo, with the National Geographic Institute (IGN) detecting over 500 earthquakes within a three-hour span between 04:00 and 07:20 (UTC) on Thursday. This activity took place in Las Cañadas del Teide, the same area where seismic swarms have been previously recorded in recent years.
IGN has identified this activity near Pico Viejo, an area known for past seismic swarms in October 2016, June 2019, and again in June and July 2022.
The seismic swarm began with a sequence of 10 earthquakes, each with a magnitude below 1.1 (mbLg), at depths ranging between 8 and 12 kilometres. These initial events were followed by prolonged signals with high-frequency content but no distinct seismic phases. This phase then transitioned into a series of hundreds of minor events occurring at nearly regular intervals, described by the IGN as a “drumbeat.”
Due to the low magnitude of these seismic events, only some could be reliably detected by IGN’s automatic systems, and those that did not meet quality thresholds have not been added to the official IGN catalogue. The IGN will continue to closely monitor the activity in this region.
