Tenerife records 500 micro-earthquakes in 10 hours, the 14th seismic swarm since 2016

What happened

A new seismic swarm rattled the subsurface of Tenerife, with roughly 500 micro-earthquakes recorded in a span of 10 hours. The National Geographic Institute (IGN) placed the activity between 18:00 on Friday and 04:00 on Saturday, while the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) narrowed the main burst to 18:34–23:00. All events were of very low magnitude and none were felt by residents.

The epicentres clustered west of Las Cañadas del Teide, at an approximate depth of 10 kilometres below sea level. Only three of the 500 events could be individually located because of the extremely weak signals. Both institutes stressed that the figures for event count, magnitudes and depths remain provisional and may be refined after detailed analysis.

Scientific interpretation

Involcan stated that the most probable hypothesis links the swarm to the injection of hydrothermal volatiles of magmatic origin into the island’s hydrothermal system. This interpretation is backed by independent geochemical and geophysical evidence, including an increase in diffuse CO₂ emission at the Teide crater and slight ground deformation detected in the northeast sector of the volcanic edifice.

The most probable hypothesis is that these swarms are associated with the injection of hydrothermal volatiles of magmatic origin into the island’s hydrothermal system.

The IGN described the signals as highly homogeneous and compatible with the circulation or interaction of magmatic fluids with deep rock. However, it cautioned that this type of seismicity, by itself, does not imply a transition toward other volcanic-activity scenarios.

This type of seismicity, by itself, does not necessarily imply an evolution toward other volcanic-activity scenarios.

A recurring pattern

This is the 14th swarm of hybrid seismic events detected on Tenerife since 2 October 2016. The chronology includes episodes in 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025, and a more constant sequence beginning on 12 February 2026. The most recent prior swarm occurred in February 2026, though the energy released in the current episode is lower.

Involcan noted that the process responsible for the elevated “volcanic noise” recorded since late 2016 remains active and shows no signs of subsiding. Nevertheless, the institute reiterated a message of calm, insisting that the swarm does not alter the probability of a volcanic eruption in the short or medium term.

Monitoring and response

In line with volcanic-surveillance protocols, the IGN sent an alert about the increased seismic frequency to the Civil Protection Service of the Canary Islands Government and the National Civil Protection System. The institute maintains a network of more than 100 stations, instruments and sampling points across Tenerife, monitoring seismicity, ground deformation and geochemical parameters in real time to detect any change that could signal an evolution of volcanic hazard.