The Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) has issued an alert to the Canary Islands Civil Protection Service after detecting an increase in seismic activity beneath Tenerife over the past 48 hours.
However, officials have stressed that the heightened activity does not indicate an increased risk of a volcanic eruption in the short or medium term.
According to the IGN, a total of 221 low-frequency seismic events have been recorded beneath the island during the last two days, mainly in an area to the west of Las Cañadas del Teide National Park.
The increase in activity prompted the agency to send a formal notification to Civil Protection at 2:07am this morning (Monday), following established monitoring protocols.
Several Seismic Pulses Detected
Scientists reported that a number of low-frequency seismic pulses were detected from the early hours of Sunday, with activity becoming particularly noticeable during the night last night, between Sunday and Monday.
The events have been recorded in the same area where low-level seismic and volcanic activity has been observed regularly over recent months.
IGN officials noted that similar alerts have been issued in the past when activity levels increased, although such notifications were not routinely made public.
More Than 220 Events Recorded
During the latest episode, experts identified a mixture of volcano-tectonic earthquakes, hybrid seismic events and so-called LP (long-period) events.
Researchers say these signals show a high degree of correlation and have been occurring continuously since Saturday afternoon.
Despite the increase in activity, none of the earthquakes have been felt by residents.
The latest figures follow the detection of 79 earthquakes in the same area between Thursday and Friday last week.
Location and Depth
The recorded events have all been relatively small, with magnitudes below 2.0 on the Richter scale.
Most epicentres have been located on the western side of Las Cañadas, primarily affecting the municipalities of Guía de Isora, Vilaflor and Santiago del Teide.
The earthquakes have generally occurred at depths of between 10 and 15 kilometres below sea level.
Similar to Activity Earlier This Year
The IGN has emphasised that the current seismic swarm is similar to episodes recorded in February and March this year.
Scientists continue to analyse the data and caution that the figures released so far remain provisional due to the low intensity of many of the signals.
As more detailed analysis is completed, the final number of recorded events could increase, and more precise information on magnitudes and depths will be published in the official IGN catalogue.
For now, experts stress that while the increase in seismic activity is being closely monitored, there is no evidence suggesting an imminent volcanic eruption or any additional danger to the public.
The Canary Islands' volcanic monitoring network remains on alert and continues to track developments beneath Tenerife around the clock.
