Volcano and Earthquake Activity on El Hierro : 12 Months on

 

It is almost 12 months to the day since the Earthquake swarm on the Canary Island of El Hierro decided to grace us with its presence.

With more than 500 'open sky' Volcano cones on the Island of around 10'000 residents, seismic activity is by no means an unusual occurrence on and around El Hierro. However, since the 16th of July of last year the National Geographic Survey (IGN) has recorded in excess of 30'000 earthquakes / tremors.

The earthquakes have generally been clustered around the Frontera / Pinar area to the North-West of the centre of the Island, with depths averaging around 16km and with magnitudes averaging around 1.8 on the richer scale.

However, the activities have not been limited to earthquakes. On the southern side of the Island, off the coast of La Restinga, an underwater Volcano has spent the last 8 months producing magma some 300mt below the surface of the bay of 'Las Calmas'. Over recent month the resulting cone spread to a diameter of almost 700mts and with a height of 200mts and a crater of 120mts. The gases - dubbed a 'stain' by scientists - was mapped by NASA satellites, showing a dark green colour stretching for miles and at one point covering an estimated 34 hectares.

Three (vaguely) interesting points :

1.) The Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS) was devised in 1979 by scientists who found that the Richter scale only measured the strength of an earthquake's shockwaves and not the impact that it had on the surface. So whilst the Richter scale measures seismic waves, or vibration, the MMS measures energy, or the distance of 'slip' between the fault, and the part of the surface unaffected by the quake. MMS is generally only used as a measurement of earthquakes that are over 3.0 on the richter scale, any less and the effects on the surface would be too low to measure.

2.) The Canary Islands are Volcanic. A previous activity on the neighbouring Island of La Palma left behind an active Volcano clinging precariously to the side of the Island. Scientists have long speculated that even the slightest of seismic or volcanic activity could trigger an enormous landslide of such mass velocity that it would cause a Tsunami that would have the potential to devastate much of the eastern coast of North and central America.

The Youtube clip shows a good graphic depiction as to why so many conspiracy theorists have been so worried >>>

3.) Scientists recently confirmed that the activities over the past 12 months have caused the surface of the Island to have been distorted by as much as 5cms in places.

Read previous news stories about the El Hierro Volcano by clicking the link HERE .