View of the recorded swarm
New seismic swarm under Teide has activated the seismographs of the Canary Islands Seismic Network, with more than 90 movements Very low magnitude earthquakes concentrated in just over an hour. This is an episode of modest energy, common on volcanic islands, and is part of the recent dynamics of the system. Teide–Pico Viejo.
The tremors were located between the 17:14 PM and 18:26 PM (Canary Islands time) and were clearly captured by the TNOR station, located on the north face of the volcano. Involcan classifies these events as volcano-tectonic, caused by the fracturing of rocks at depth.
Where and when the swarm was detected
Visible registration at the North Station
The episode occurred on Saturday August 30 and was recorded by the Canary Islands Seismic Network (Involcan) in the northern slope of TeideThe temporary concentration and low magnitude fit with patterns seen in other recent swarms, such as the seismic surge in Tenerife.
In parallel, the National Geographic Institute validated a part of that activity and accounted for it fifteen earthquakes with magnitudes between 0,2 and 0,8, which confirms that we are talking about small movements, generally not perceived by the population.
What type of seismicity is it and what does it imply?
Volcanic seismicity characteristic
Swarms like this are formed by events volcano-tectonic (VT), which originate when the internal pressure It causes microfractures in the rock. They are low-energy earthquakes and, for the most part, imperceptible for the people.
Some of the weakest microtremors are only detected by the Automatic system and they do not reach the final catalogue due to their limited quality, something normal in sequences of microseismicity as observed under Teide.
A summer with several swarms under Teide
Summer swarm pattern
The episode is not isolated: during this summer there have been recorded several swarms on the island. At the beginning of August, a phase was detected with more than 55 VT at approximate depths of 8–14km, followed by another section with more than 700 hybrid events within a few hours, a sign of fluid movement within the system.
That was the sixth hybrid swarm since 2016. Although they were not appreciated then significant changes in ground deformation or significant increases in gases, it did reinforce the idea of a volcanic system dynamic requiring close monitoring.
An activity that has been repeated since 2017
Series of swarms since 2017
From June 2017 Tenerife chains more than 120 swarms of this type. Involcan links them to a process of pressurization of the volcanic-hydrothermal system, related to the injection of magmatic fluids at depth.
This trend has been observed repeatedly since 2016 and is supported by data geochemists and geophysicists independents: increase in diffuse CO₂ emission in the crater of Teide and a slight deformation of the land detected since 2024 in the northeast sector of the complex Teide–Pico Viejo.
What the agencies say: surveillance and risk level
Continuous scientific monitoring
Both Involcan and the IGN They emphasize that, as of today, There are no signs that point to an increased probability of eruption in the short to medium term in Tenerife. Monitoring is ongoing and focuses on possible signs such as sustained increases of gases, acceleration of deformation or more energetic and frequent swarms.
The instrumental network allows rapid detection changes in parameters key and communicate the evolution of the system to civil protection. In the current context, the observed activity fits with the behavior usual of Teide.
Field surveillance teams
The new swarm brings valuable information on the respiration of the volcanic system without translating into an immediate threat: more than 90 micro-earthquakes in a short time, within a trend of swarms that has been repeated since 2017 and with indicators (CO₂ and deformation) monitored closely by scientific teams.
