Earthquakes in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands were formed in four phases. Around 36 million years ago, there was a major series of submarine eruptions. This initially gave rise to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Originally connected, the islands are now separated by a channel around ten kilometres wide. In the third phase, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Gomera were formed. After a long interval, La Palma and El Hierro were formed. At around two and 1.2 million years old respectively, these two islands are the youngest members of the archipelago. The Canary Islands remain one of the zones with active volcanism to this day. Beneath the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, there is molten magma pushing towards the surface. For this reason, earthquakes are quite common in the Canary Islands. Experts do not expect any major eruptions in the near future. Nevertheless, the underground activity causes tremors, which are generally classified as minimal to mild and cause hardly any damage. You can find all the information and news about earthquakes in the Canary Islands above.