Un Earthquake with epicenter in the Alboran Sea An earthquake shook much of the province of Malaga and other parts of Andalusia on Thursday afternoon. The tremor surprised many residents who felt furniture, sofas, and tables move, although fortunately, no injuries or property damage have been reported.
The tremor, of magnitude 4,1 on the Richter scale, occurred at 18 pm in the western Alboran Sea area, according to data from the National Geographic Institute (IGN). Initial calculations placed the hypocenter at a depth of approximately 75 kilometers, but subsequent revisions established it at around 24 kilometers below the seabedwhich explains why it was clearly perceived despite originating offshore.
Earthquake data: magnitude, depth, and intensity
According to the information provided by the National Geographic InstituteThe earthquake had a magnitude of between 4 and 4,2 degrees, based on initial readings and subsequent adjustments, with the epicenter located in the west of the Alboran Sea (latitude 35,75º N and longitude 4,61º W). This is a moderate earthquake, typical of the activity in the area, but sufficient to be felt over a wide area.
With regards to depthThe IGN updated its initial estimate: from a preliminary value of about 75 kilometers, it moved to a more precise calculation of 24 kilometersThis is within the usual range of tremors generated in this part of the western Mediterranean. This intermediate depth reduces the potential for damage, but maintains the capacity to produce noticeable shaking at the surface.
The movement was categorized as a seismic intensity level between 2 and 3 on the scale used by the IGN. Intensity 2 earthquakes are considered "barely felt": only a few people at rest and in very calm conditions perceive them. Intensity 3 earthquakes are described as "weak," noticeable mainly inside buildings, with a slight swaying sensation and swing of hanging objectsNo structural or infrastructure damage is expected within these ranges.
Emergency services, such as Emergencies 112 AndalusiaThey received no relevant warnings related to the earthquake. Authorities have confirmed that there is no record of no incidents or damage in the province of Malaga nor in the areas where the tremor was felt.
Where was the earthquake in the Alboran Sea felt?
The earthquake was clearly felt in numerous municipalities of the Malaga coastThis occurred in both the western and eastern parts of the city. In the capital, several residents reported feeling a brief but very noticeable movement while sitting on the sofa or working at home. Some described a kind of "push" in the furniture and a slight swaying of the walls or lamps.
At Eastern Costa del Sol and the AxarquíaThe earthquake was felt in locations such as Rincón de la Victoria, Torre de Benagalbón, Benajarafe, Chilches, La Cala del Moral, Colmenarejo and Torre del MarMany of these municipalities, quite accustomed to small tremors, commented on social media that this afternoon's tremor was more noticeable than other recent ones, although without really scaring most of the population.
In the western region, the tremor was also felt in Marbella, Nueva Andalucía, Estepona (including the Cancelada area), Fuengirola, Mijas, Calahonda-Chaparral y Las LagunasIn some neighborhoods of the capital and the surrounding Costa del Sol, it was described how Tables and chairs moved slightlywithout causing objects to fall or creating dangerous situations.
The effects of the earthquake were not limited to Malaga. Measuring stations and citizen accounts confirm that it was also felt in various parts of the region. inland AndalusiaIn the province of Seville, for example, there was a perception of it in the capital itself and in municipalities such as San Juan de Aznalfarache, Mairena del Aljarafe, Coria del Río, Dos Hermanas, Burguillos or Castilblanco de los Arroyos.
Furthermore, the tremor was felt in areas of Cordoba (as Grasses, in the municipality of Hornachuelos), in enclaves of Jaen and in mountain municipalities of Huelvaas the AracenaIn all cases, the sensation was slight, with no practical effects beyond the surprise and curiosity of those who perceived it.
Citizen reactions and presence on social media
As is often the case in these types of episodes, the Social media was flooded with messages Within minutes, on the X platform (formerly Twitter), dozens of users from Malaga and the surrounding area began commenting on whether they had noticed anything unusual or directly asking if there had been an earthquake.
Some messages described everyday situations interrupted by the tremor: one person recounted that, while in the living room, the sofa suddenly seemed to move as if someone were pushing it from behind. Another claimed that "My table moved by itself"This comment was met with responses from other users who confirmed that they too had felt a slight swaying in their homes.
Among the reactions, there were also plenty of humorous touches. More than one internet user joked that «The three horsemen of the apocalypse in Malaga are the terral wind, floods, and earthquakes."This refers to the phenomena that most frequently disrupt daily life in the province. These kinds of comments, mixing concern and irony, are common whenever seismic activity in the Alboran Sea makes itself felt on the coast."
Apart from social media, government agencies and emergency services pointed out that these types of moderate earthquakes, although noticeable, They fall within normal activity from a tectonically active area like the Alboran Sea, and insisted that no relevant incident had been detected.
A tremor reminiscent of other recent earthquakes in Malaga
Thursday's earthquake brought back memories for many people in Malaga of earthquake that occurred in December with epicenter on land, in the municipality of FuengirolaThat earthquake reached a magnitude of 4,9 degrees and some were located 77 kilometers deepbeing widely perceived in practically the entire province and even in other areas of Andalusia.
As a result of that event, the Junta de Andalucía it even activated the pre-emergence phase of its seismic plan, given the level of public awareness and the possibility of aftershocks. Although the damage was limited, it did demonstrate the psychological impact that a relatively nearby earthquake can have in a densely populated area like the Costa del Sol.
In recent months, other cases have been recorded small earthquakes in the province and its immediate surroundings, many of them almost imperceptible. In December, several low-magnitude movements were recorded in locations such as IznateFuengirola, Estepona or Valle de Abdalajíswhich were barely felt by the population.
In the Alboran Sea itself, in the days leading up to this earthquake, signs had already been detected up to five minor tremors in different areas (North Alboran, South Alboran, and West Alboran), with magnitudes ranging from 1,7 to just over 2 degrees, and varying depths. These episodes, although almost always unnoticed, illustrate the constant seismic activity that characterizes the region.
The earthquake on Thursday afternoon is therefore considered the first movement clearly felt in the province in 2026However, it is part of a sequence of events that demonstrates that the Alboran Sea is a particularly dynamic setting from a geological point of view.
Why are there so many earthquakes in the Alboran Sea and the southeastern Iberian Peninsula?
Live in Malaga, Granada, Almeria or Murcia It involves getting used to living with it Spain's highest seismic riskThis is not a one-off or exceptional event, but the direct result of the Ongoing collision between the African and European tectonic plates, a process that has been underway for millions of years and continues to slowly deform the Earth's crust in the south and southeast of the peninsula.
This push between continents is not distributed equally across Spain. The pressure is particularly concentrated around the Alboran Sea and the Betic Cordillerawhere a complex network of active faults has formed, both underwater and on land. This system is further compounded by the so-called Alboran microplate, an intermediate block that moves westward and acts as a kind of wedge subjected to great stress.
The result is a region where they combine compressive, extensional, and tear failuresThese structures accommodate the movement between Africa and Eurasia in different ways. This diversity explains why earthquakes occur at various depths and with varied mechanisms, although most are of moderate magnitude.
In this context, Málaga, Granada, Almería and Murcia They account for a significant portion of the earthquakes recorded in Spain. Many go completely unnoticed by the population, but others, like the one this Thursday in the Alboran Sea, make themselves felt in the form of brief tremors that serve as a reminder that the area is in permanent tension.
A striking feature of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula is the presence of earthquakes unusual depths in EuropeBeneath Granada and Málaga, a phenomenon of lithospheric delamination has been identified: deep parts of the crust sink into the mantle and are replaced by hotter material from the Earth's interior. This process contributes to maintaining seismic activity and explains movements that reach depths of several hundred kilometers.
The Alboran Fault and the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis
The call Alboran Fault It is not a single structure, but a set of active faults in the Alboran Sea that participate in the release of the energy accumulated by the collision between Africa and Europe. Among them, faults such as Averroes and Carbonerascapable of generating earthquakes of considerable magnitude and, in certain scenarios, even Tsunami.
For years there was a tendency to minimize the danger of tsunamis in this part of the Mediterranean, when compared to more well-known areas of the planet, but recent research has nuanced this perception. In particular, the focus has been on the vertical displacement associated with some of these faults, which, in the event of a major earthquake, could generate significant waves.
Scientific models suggest that an earthquake of magnitude around 7 in certain structures of the Alboran Sea it could trigger waves of up to six meters high in specific areas. The proximity between the earthquake's origin and the coastline would minimize reaction time: it is estimated that a tsunami would take approximately 20 minutes to reach the coast of Almería or the northern morocco and a little over half an hour to get to Malaga.
It is worth emphasizing that these are scenarios of Low probability but high impactExperts insist on the need to improve surveillance systems, coastal flooding models, and rapid warning protocols, precisely because the margin for error would be very short in an extreme case.
In parallel, organizations such as the IGN and the Civil Protection services maintain and reinforce the network of seismic stations which constantly monitors the behavior of the Alboran faults. This monitoring allows for continuous updating of hazard maps and better preparation of the institutional response to future events.
A territory accustomed to earthquakes: historical background
The southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is experiencing a long history of destructive earthquakesMany of these earthquakes are linked to the interaction between Africa, Europe, and the Alboran microplate. These events serve as a reminder that the region not only experiences moderate earthquakes like the one on Thursday, but has also suffered much more severe events.
In 1522, an earthquake of extreme intensity devastated the city of Almeria and completely destroyed the town of Verawith the collapse of virtually all the houses and thousands of fatalities. Centuries later, in 1829, the well-known Torrevieja earthquake It devastated large areas of Murcia with intensities close to the maximum on the scale.
Already in the modern era, the earthquake of Sands of the King (Granada), in 1884, reached an estimated magnitude of 6,5 and caused around 1.500 deceasedIn addition to the destruction of thousands of buildings and numerous landslides in the region, these historic earthquakes confirm that the southeastern Iberian Peninsula is capable of generating significant seismic activity. very severe events, both on land and in the vicinity of the coast.
More recently, the Lorca earthquake of 2011The earthquake, of moderate magnitude, resulted in nine deaths and damages estimated at over 550 million euros. Despite not being an extreme earthquake in terms of energy released, its shallow depth and its proximity to the urban center They multiplied the impact on the population and on the housing stock.
Added to this are episodes such as the seismic swarm recorded in the Vega de Granada between 2020 and 2021with dozens of tremors felt that affected the daily lives of residents and caused significant material damage, or the earthquake of magnitude 6,3 in the Alboran Sea in 2016which was strongly felt in Málaga and Almería. All this background helps to contextualize the current movements within a extended seismic trajectory in the region.
Risk, prevention and how to live with an active seismic zone
The earthquake felt this Thursday in Malaga is a reminder that Seismic risk is part of everyday life in the Alboran Sea area. Science cannot predict the exact moment when a major earthquake will occur, but it does allow us to estimate the hazard level of an area, identify active faults, and analyze what type of damage could occur.
In the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, more than a century has passed without a major earthquake comparable to the historical events mentioned earlier. This relatively long period without a major seismic event should not be interpreted as absolute tranquility, but rather as a possible sign of renewed activity. energy accumulation in faults that cross the region, both at sea and inland.
In recent years, steps have been taken to strengthen monitoring and response to these types of phenomena. Among other measures, the State has promoted plans such as the National Seismic Monitoring Plan, coordinated by the IGN, which seeks to improve the density of recording stations, speed up the calculation of magnitude and intensity and facilitate that Civil Protection and the UME quickly obtain estimates of potential damage after a significant earthquake.
The vulnerability of a territory depends not only on how much it trembles, but also on how their buildings are constructed and the type of soil on which they are built. In cities like Granada, for example, the soft soils of the sedimentary basin can amplify seismic waves. Furthermore, some of the housing stock in eastern and southeastern Andalusia was built before the 2002 earthquake-resistant building codes came into effect, which increases the risk for certain older buildings.
Given this context, the experts' recommendations include strengthen the culture of preventionKnowing the safe zones inside your home or workplace, knowing how to act during and after a strong earthquake, securing tall furniture, and avoiding objects that could fall are simple measures that significantly reduce risk. In coastal areas, if a very strong earthquake were to occur near the coast, the basic guideline would be to move away from the sea and head to... elevated areas in an orderly and as quickly as possible.
Thursday's episode on Alboran Sea, felt in Malaga and other Andalusian provincesWhile this tremor falls within the normal seismic activity of a geologically active region, it also serves as a reminder of the importance of being informed and prepared. Although most of these tremors amount to nothing more than a scare and a good chat on social media, history and science remind us that the southeastern Iberian Peninsula lives with a real risk that requires continuous monitoring, responsible urban planning, and a citizenry aware of how to act when the earth decides to move again.