The rare seismic effect was first recorded on the island back in February and included a massive earthquake felt across the island, and experts warn that there may be more on the way,
A holiday hotspot visited by around 2.5 million Brits a year has been hit by a rare tectonic phenomenon known as a seismic swarm, and experts are warning that more may be on the way.
A seismic or earthquake swarm takes place when a series of earthquakes occur in a local area over days, months, or years without one single, dominant mainshock.
The Canary Island of Tenerife first experienced this swarm effect in February this year, seeing more than 100 quakes being felt across the island, according to local news outlet Canarian Weekly.
Following a period of calm towards the end of the month, more seismic action has been recorded on the island in the last few days, with a dozen smaller earthquakes recorded.
All twelve tremors took place between 9:45pm on Tuesday and 6:00am on Wednesday, and at depths between 8 and 14 kilometres.
None of the March quakes were particularly strong, with the most impactful registering just 1.4 on the Richter scale, however due to the frequency of the seismic action over the last month, authorities said that they were on alert.
“A month and a half ago this activity would not have attracted much attention,” a spokesperson for the local National Geographic Institute explained. “However, given the current context we will continue to monitor the situation closely in case anything changes.”
While the recent tremors were minor, the February quakes registered as high as 4.4, and were felt across the island.
According to the Geographic Institute, the “seismic swarm” may have been caused by “pressurised underground fluids.” While all quiet for now, they added that there is a possibility of more earthquakes over the next weeks and months.
“I wouldn’t say the process has finished or that we won’t see this type of activity again for a long time,” the spokesperson said. “Another swarm could occur tomorrow, or the activity could change into something different.”
While the seismic swarm phenomenon is rare, Tenerife is no stranger to tectonic activity.
Partly due to the presence of an underwater volcano known as Volcán de En medio, the island has been hit by countless earthquakes over the years, including a devestating quake in 1989 that caused damage across the island and hit 5.2 on the Richter scale.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.