El Hierro under volcanic eruption alert as swarm exceeds 10,000 and 4.3 quake rattles island

Posted on October 9, 2011 by
October 9, 2011 – CANARY ISLANDS – A 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck El Hierro, the smallest of The Canary Islands, late on Saturday night. It was the strongest earthquake to be recorded on the Spanish island since an unprecedented earthquake swarm commenced during the summer. The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) has reported an increase in the intensity of earthquakes recorded on El Hierro, the smallest of The Canary Islands, during the last 48 hours. The number of earthquakes recorded since July 17 , 2011 on El Hierros has now reached 10,000, figures from the IGN confirm. The IGN also confirmed surface deformations exceeding 35mm on the 280-sqkm island, where residents have been put on alert for a possible volcanic eruption.  However, seismologists have moved to reassure the local population that a volcanic eruption is not imminent. The agency confirmed on Friday that 886 earthquakes, most of them located in the sea to the SW of the island, have been recorded in the 7 days since 02 October, 2011.  During this period, 71 earthquakes were felt by the island’s estimated 10,000 residents. Since Friday morning, there have been more than two dozen earthquakes exceeding 3.0 on the Richter Scale with epicenters both North and South of the NW Ridge and depths between 10 and 15 km have been recorded.  The strongest of the tremors measured 4.3 magnitude on the Richter Scale, many times stronger than other earthquakes recorded on the island since mid-July. It was recorded on Saturday night at a depth of 12 km. The quake produced small rockslides but no injuries were reported. -IWO
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17 Responses to El Hierro under volcanic eruption alert as swarm exceeds 10,000 and 4.3 quake rattles island

  1. James Ratcliffe says:
    October 9, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    rockslides eh…just hope there are no massive landslides…watched a bbc1 documentry about tsunarmis in 2000…the mother of all tsunarmi’s

    Reply
  4. Tom Stack says:
    October 9, 2011 at 9:13 pm

    Evidense supports that the pressure on the magma of the earth has been on the rise for many yrs now. I do think this has to do with all the added water weight in the oceans from glacial melt. I think that there is also another player at work here though, and that is probably the suns energy ejections and possibly cosmic ray energy coming from space that NASA has admited exists. Our planets core may be heating up from this energy bombardment. I am very concerned about the weakening of our magnetosphere from these outside forces.

    Reply
    • Evo says:
      October 10, 2011 at 1:09 am

      This was also how I also felt about the movement of magma in the last few years. However Alvin made me aware of this in a previous post;
      ” There appears to be a dramatic upswing in the energy flux. There could be many factors, all indeterminate. I’ve often said, we don’t understand the way energy is transferred in space and not necessarily “through space.” Space not be so much the medium as it could be the platform for super gravity waves and other unknown energies they don’t propagate in the traditional sense as we understand the properties of energy or quantum forces.”

      Reply
  5. Dov says:
    October 9, 2011 at 11:38 pm

    Any clue what an eruption would mean for the east coast of the US?

    Reply
  6. Irene Carmichael says:
    October 10, 2011 at 12:35 am

    I have a question. I understand that an eruption from El Hierro won’t affect La Palma, but how far away are the two islands. From the map, they appear to be fairly close, I would guess around 60K. I’m just asking out of curiosity.

    Maranatha

    Reply
  7. whatchagonnado says:
    October 10, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Alvin shakingearth reporting eruption started.Peace

    Reply
  8. luisport says:
    October 10, 2011 at 11:41 am

    A submarine eruption have started! Seismic monitoring services have been a small submarine eruption at 1,200 meters deep at sea seven miles from El Hierro.

    The phenomenon is ongoing and has occurred at 10.43 (local time) in the sea calms and has been a sudden change in the seismic process, as it has paralyzed for weeks tremors felt in the Canary Islands, as reported by experts to Canary Autonomic Radio.

    As reported Canarias7, four ships have been alert to the maritime authorities of the existence of volcanic activity south of La Restinga and about 500 meters deep

    Reply
  9. luisport says:
    October 10, 2011 at 11:53 am

    google translate:
    El Cabildo de El Hierro Canary Islands has confirmed to Radio, Autonomic that there has been a volcanic eruption 1,200 meters water depth and 7 km from the coast south of El Hierro.

    The last earthquake that was recorded at 10:43. Since then, experts have confirmed a sudden change in the seismic process has stalled momentarily activity.

    The committee formed by state authorities, government and corporations lcoales canary (PEVOLCA) plans to offer a press conference at 12:00 this afternoon to explain the implications of recent earthquakes recorded on the island.

    During the day, the Directorate General of the Canarian Government has forbidden the practice diving in the waters of El Hierro.

    Reply
  10. luisport says:
    October 10, 2011 at 11:58 am

    Iron recorded a submarine eruption at 7 kilometers from the coast

    Seismic monitoring services have been a small submarine eruption at 1,200 meters deep at sea seven miles from El Hierro .

    The phenomenon is ongoing and has occurred at 10.43 (local time) on the Sea of Calm and represents an abrupt change in seismic process as it has paralyzed for weeks tremors felt in the Canary Islands , as reported by experts to Canary Autonomic Radio.

    As reported Canarias7, four ships have been alert to the maritime authorities of the existence of volcanic activity south of La Restinga and about 500 meters deep.

    This same media reports that authorities have suspended all diving activities on the island .

    If confirmed, this eruption, it would be the first of which is recorded in Spain since 1971 , when the volcano Teneguía emerged on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands too.

    http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/10/10/espana/1318242424.html?a=48a515f5cd318b68def0e1d31f458e5b&t=1318243989&numero=

    Reply
  12. luisport says:
    October 10, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    Reply
    Jón Frímann says:
    October 10, 2011 at 12:52
    From what I can gather on the tremor. It seems that this eruption is growing in size every 2 hours or so.

    Reply
  14. luisport says:
    October 10, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    EFE Mayor Frontera, David Cabrera, has confirmed in an interview with Radio Garoé of El Hierro, who is producing a “preerupción underwater about three miles” south of La Restinga for “three or four hours” and ” 900 or a mile deep. ” The Minister of Emergencies of the Cabildo de El Hierro, Maria del Carmen Morales, said in the media mentioned that this “preerupción” is occurring because “the earthquake of 4.3 occurred on Saturday afternoon caused a fissure, which is where energy is being released. ” So mometo scientists “do not know if gas emissions are or lava,” said Morales, so “they will continue with the analysis of parameters”.

    Thus scientists have communicated the National Geographic Institute (IGN) to the authorities of El Hierro in the meeting of Pevolca (Civil Protection Special Plan and Emergency Risk-volcanic) that just ended in El Cabildo de El Hierro.

    Scientists fly over the area with several helicóteros equipped infrared cameras to measure the intensity of the phenomenon

    Pevolca members will meet again this afternoon from 19:00 pm to provide more information to policy makers.

    Border Councilman explained that scientists do not know “how long this phenomenon,” and recalled that in La Palma “lasted 24 days” before the eruption of Teneguía (1971). Both makers confirmed that earthquakes continue to occur on the island although less frequently than in previous days.

    “During the technical meeting today received information from a magnitude 2.9 earthquake whose epicenter was located south of La Restinga” said the counselor.

    Reply

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