Magnitude 4.1 earthquake hits Tenerife as locals say their beds were shaking - just days after volcano warning issued
Two holiday hotspots off the coast of the Canary Islands, which are popular with Brits, have been hit by an earthquake.
Thousands of tourists and locals reportedly felt the tremor in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, just after midday yesterday (Thursday February 26).
But, holidaymakers have been urged not to panic, as scientists say the 4.1 magnitude quake is not connected to the recent spate of seismic activity registered on Tenerife’s Mount Teide.
Local residents said that their rooms vibrated and their furniture shook as a result of the earthquake, which struck at a depth of over six miles.
“In 1989, in this same area, an earthquake of 5.3 was recorded that was felt throughout the island of Tenerife,” said IGN volcanologist Rubén López. He also said the tremor was not linked to the seismic swarms which have taken place over the last fortnight.
Spain’s National Geographic Institute confirmed the tremor hit in the area of the Enmedio Volcano, beneath the channel that separates Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Due to its relatively shallow depth, the seismic jolt was widely felt.
Many locals reported feeling that effects to Spanish publications. “It lasted about ten seconds and was more noticeable than ever, moving the whole house,” said one resident of Agaete in Gran Canaria. “It went from less to more. At first it seemed like the closing of a door, but then the whole house moved.”
“I was lying in bed and I felt the mattress vibrate. I stared at it and felt a second vibration; it moved slightly, but only the mattress,” resident Débora Madrid, told El Dia. “It was quite noticeable,” said Elba Diaz, from Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz.
She added that the situation reminded her of another quake in 2021. “I already lived through the tremors associated with the Tajogaite volcano, and this time, just like then, it made me feel dizzy.”
The National Geographic Institute has also listed the towns where the earthquake was felt, with varying intensities. Popular tourist locations across the two islands felt the tremor, including Los Cristianos in Tenerife and Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.
Scientists are now discussing a contingency plan in relation to thousands of vibrations which have been monitored under Mount Teide on Tenerife. They say eruption is not imminent, but that all municipalities wanted to update their emergency plans.
Tenerife’s government has said the island has a world-class monitoring system and that there is no cause for concern. The island’s president, Rosa Davila, has said that they are “more prepared than ever” for an eruption.