A new seismic swarm started under Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma), the Canary Islands on February 10, 2018. Quakes in this latest swarm are stronger than those in the previous swarm in October 2017, the first swarm in this area in 30 years. National Geographic Institute (IGN) registered a total of 83 earthquakes between 23:23 UTC, February 10 and 07:32 UTC, February 15 with magnitudes ranging from 1.6 to 2.6. In addition, there have been several hundred more which weren’t detected due to their magnitude and depth.
The depth of the quakes decreased during the course of the swarm, suggesting an upward movement of magma towards the surface. The Canary Government called for an urgent meeting of the Scientific Committee for Evaluation and Monitoring of Volcanic Phenomena to discuss why the quakes are happening again and what might happen in the future. This is the second such meeting in four months. INVOLCAN said that this new series is something expected based on geochemical measurements made in the Cumbre Vieja volcano. READ MORE
