Gran Canaria rocked by earthquake as tremors shake holiday hotspots | World | News
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake occurred on the holiday island of Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands Seismic Network recorded the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale and immediately clarified that the movement had no relation to Tenerife’s seismicity.
The earthquake was felt throughout the island. It occurred at 9.50am this morning, with reports being received from different geographical points of the archipelago. According to initial reports, the earthquake was also felt on the neighboring Canary island of Fuerteventura. It is unknown if there was any damage as details are still coming in. Locals and tourists in different parts of the island reported feeling the earthquake. Officials say anyone injured or damaged should seek emergency care.
Televisión Canaria’s regional television program ‘Buenos Días Canarias’ was responsible for advancing live information with reports from people who felt the vibration in their homes and workplaces.
Official sources of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) confirmed that the earthquake occurred offshore on the northern slope of the island’s territory. Seismic network measurement stations instantly captured the signal of the seismic event.
At the same time, the Canary Islands Institute of Volcanology (Involcan) reported the technical parameters of the incident through its official channels.
Automated location and tracking systems placed the epicenter offshore, exactly 59 kilometers from the island’s capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Given the public alarm caused by the intensity of the earthquake, Involcan scientists issued an urgent statement regarding the nature of the tectonic rupture. The scientific organization categorically emphasized that this earthquake had nothing to do with the volcanic seismicity recorded in Tenerife.
Although preliminary automated data provide an estimate of the strength of the seismic event, IGN and Involcan’s experts and technicians are working on detailed analysis of the received waves.
Seismic control centers have announced that the final magnitude of the earthquake, as well as the exact depth at which the movement originates from the seafloor, has not yet been precisely determined.
Scientific confirmation will be updated in the next few hours.
