Due to the recent activity on the island of El Hierro, we have created a new update page to keep readers updated of the progress of the volcanic activity on the island, rather than create new posts for each event.
We will now only update this page for all items relating to the El Hierro events. Previous recent news on El Hierro can be found on the following pages:
Page 1 - Page 2 – Page 3 – Page 4 - Live Webcam page - All El Hierro posts
Update 10-07-2012 @ 07:47 Seismic activity on El Hierro is currently giving islanders a rest after the spike on Saturday which shook much of the island. Up to seven earthquakes were felt by the population and eight of those were recorded that day exceeded a magnitude of 3.0 degrees on the Richter scale. Yesterday (Monday 9th July 2012) there were a hundred seismic events of a smaller magnitude and there was a further deformation of the ground of around one centimetre with respect to records of previous days.
Update 04-07-2012 @ 07:57 – A helicopter from the Emergency and Rescue Group has been sighted around the Mar de Las Calmas area of El Hierro, and about 180 yards offshore, a bubbling effect on the sea surface has been identified whose origins scientists have not yet been determined.
The Civil Protection Plan Risk Volcanic Islands (Pevolca) explained that this bubbling effect was seen on a reconnaissance flight and the specific point where it is located is 27º 4.573 North y 18º03.761 West. Pictures taken on that flight have been analysed by the scientists responsible for volcano monitoring but could not confirm its origin. Another reconnaissance flight will take place today to try to determine the origin of this bubbling effect. This sighting comes after the scientific committee reported a ‘remarkable’ acceleration in the recorded seismicity in the last hours on the island, which has detected the greater magnitude earthquakes of up to 4.4 degrees on the Richter scale. Researchers have concluded that the center of pressure is located opposite the Orchilla zone in the Mar de Las Calmas about 20 kilometers deep, and have predicted earthquakes of higher intensity than those reported so far but no more than 4.6 degrees.
El Hierro volcano eruption July 2012
Update 03-07-2012 @ 17:57 Pevolca has held a series of meetings today to discuss the recent volcanic activity on the island of El Hierro. The pressure of the magma has caused the island to rise by up to 9 centimetres. In a press conference after the meeting it was informed that they are not ruling out earthquakes greater than the ones experienced early this morning (Tuesday, 3rd July) where quakes reached up to 4.5 or 4.6 degrees on the Richter scale. The reason is that the magma is experiencing a high resistance to ascend to the surface. The National Geographic Institute (IGN) informed that the earthquake of magnitude 4.4 on the Richter scale experienced during the early hours of Tuesday morning was felt in three municipalities of El Hierro, and even on the island of La Palma.
Update 03-07-2012 @ 08:57 – IGN have reported 58 earthquakes so far this morning (Tuesday 3rd July 2012). The largest one measuring 4.2 degrees on the Richter scale and various other ones over 3.0 degrees.
