Von Marlis Zoschke
Mount Teide is one of the tallest volcanoes on Earth. At least, when measured from the seabed. It stands within a volcanic caldera approximately 16 kilometres wide, which was formed around 170,000 years ago when the original Mount Teide slid down the slope.
We’d never heard of an earthquake on Tenerife; even the locals were quite uninformed about it and said that there were no earthquakes on Tenerife. Things had, after all, been quiet since the last eruption in November 1909.
However, in 2016, the giant awoke from its slumber and made itself felt on several occasions in the years that followed. The current tremors are always occurring at a depth of between eight and twelve kilometres. They are not felt by the local population. Since 7 February, however, activity at Mount Teide has intensified and is now being felt in some cases.
Thousands of earthquakes on Tenerife
From 18 February onwards, the number of earthquakes totalled several thousand, all in the same area. It has, however, also been reported that a major earthquake is not yet expected.
Some prediction models do not anticipate an eruption of Mount Teide before 2090, whilst other models have calculated probabilities of up to twelve per cent of an eruption occurring by 2060.
I think the people in charge at Involcan know their job better. However, nature cannot be influenced. Should there be a major volcanic eruption, it would not affect the whole island, but primarily La Orotava, stretching from Granadilla de Abona to Santiago del Teide. These are all the villages closest to Mount Teide.
All eight airports on the Canary Islands would have to be closed. However, according to Involcan, everything is currently ‚business as usual‘ and people are being told to enjoy their holidays.
There are earthquakes in Germany too
Things aren’t as quiet in Germany as one might think either: with 14 earthquakes in 2025, Baden-Württemberg is the most active German federal state. Last Sunday, there was an earthquake there measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale.
We have several hundred earthquakes every year here too, but they are so weak that we don’t even feel them. Let’s hope it stays that way.
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