El Hierro eruption

[Janet]

It has been rumbling on steadily over the past several months, with occasional tremors of up to 2.5 or so on the Richter scale that are felt by the public. Today, however, a quake of 3.3 shortly before 2pm was felt widely through El  Hierro: it was at a depth of 10.8km between Frontera and El Pinar. There was an aftershock three minutes later of 2.2 on the Richter scale at a depth of 12km. The pair were part of a cluster registered from 1.30pm, and followed another cluster in the early hours of the morning. JA

[Perikles]

A video here, 2 years after the start.

Totally off-topic, but when starting the video, there is an advertisement which I find quite shocking. Woddya think?

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

I had loads of trouble getting the video to play, but when I did, saw no ad.  Just pretty fish. 

[Nova]

I don't get ads, my browser blocks them.  I can't get the video to play either though 

Edit:  Got it, wow.  I like the purple fishies    No ads though.  Before you tell us what it is make sure it isn't placed by Google Adsense 

[Janet]

It's been fairly quiet of late, indeed over the last few weeks it's been very quiet indeed, but it's woken up to give a Christmas message. A new cluster of tremors has been registered over the past 24 hours which experts say looks like a preliminary to something stronger. The activity started in the Mar del golfo (see the green dots in the above image) with 11 tremors at a depth between 14 and 16 km, and then started to move under the island over the last several hours (red). The highest tremor recorded at present is 2.8 on the Richter scale: vulcanologists say that the magma is still trying to find a way out. JA

[Janet]

And in the last hour, two have been registered over 3 on the Richter scale, and I've just received an email from Bob in El Hierro (has posted in my comments) who says that they are "having another house shaking session, two felt in Valverde around 16.30 hours".

[Janet]

There have been 121 earthquakes over 1.5 on the Richter scale in the last 24 hours, all of them at a depth of around 14km. Vulcanologists say that a new episode of magma eruption has now started, confirmed by deformation data supplied by Involcan: upward deformation is at least 2cm. At present, the tremors have headed to, and are clustering below, the El Pinar area (red on the above IGN graphic).  Seismologists say that at the present depth, there is no immediate danger, but that quakes are expected to grow stronger. Depending on the magma's success in gaining release, too, the movement may change direction. Watch this space, as they say. JA

[Janet]

A widely-felt earthquake in El Hierro this afternoon has been confirmed by IGN 5.1 on the Richter scale. It was also felt in the north of Tenerife and La Palma.

[Janet]

The earthquake was at 5.46pm to the west of the municipality of Frontera, at a depth of 15km. It was widely felt and locals, said to be alarmed, described the effect as a very strong shaking. Five minutes later another two tremors of 2.9 and 2.7 on the Richter were recorded, though these weren't felt by the public.

[Perikles]

The earthquake was at 5.46pm .... It was widely felt and locals... described the effect as a very strong shaking. .

Amazing Who would have guessed?