SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA – The La Palma volcano has been continuously active since it erupted 43 days ago in the Cumbre Vieja area. It seems to show a profile of stability in its seismic parameters. However, the end of the eruption does not seem near at this point.
Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, the 24-hour monitoring network of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) located a total of 42 earthquakes linked to the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. A dozen earthquakes had a magnitude of more than 3 (mbLg).
At 7.24 am, there was a 5.0 (mbLg) earthquake, according to the latest update to the IGN data. That is the maximum force recorded since the start of the volcanic crisis. The quake struck southwest of the Villa de Mazo municipality, with an epicentre at a depth of 35 kilometres. It was felt with intensity IV-V on the EMS scale on all islands in the province of Tenerife.
Another quake also struck last night. It had a magnitude of 4.1 mbLg, with an epicentre at 37 kilometres depth and again southwest of Mazo. This was felt on almost the entire island of La Palma with an intensity of III-IV on the EMS scale.
Other earthquakes of magnitude 3.2 (6.38 am), 3.0 (6.46 am), 3.7 (7.13 am), 3.3 (7.21 am), and 3.1 ( 7.59 a.m.).
Yesterday, 186 earthquakes were located. The largest of 3.7 mbLg that occurred at 9.38 am in the southwest of the municipality of Villa de Mazo. With intensity IV EMS and a depth of 10 km, this quake was felt in A Coruña and Lugo, according to IGN data.
Curious tourists
In addition to the damage caused by the eruption, it also attracts curious tourists. During this long weekend (Monday is All Saints Day and a national day off) there is even a mass flow of visitors. Although the economic activity on the island is not well. Tourism typically represents more than 20% of La Palma’s GDP. But the average occupancy rate has fallen from 70% to 40% since the start of the eruption, on September 19.
With these figures in hand, entrepreneurs in the tourism sector (hotels, holiday homes, rural tourism, car rental companies, travel agencies, restaurants, shops, and freelancers) have applied for direct aid.
Rehousing victims of families
The Government of the Canary Islands foresees that by the end of the year or the beginning of 2022, all families who have lost their homes or who have been evicted will be installed in the 123 houses that the government will acquire or in the prefabricated houses that will be built. installed. Some families will leave the hotels at the end of next week to move into the first 18 houses, whose administrative procedures for their final purchase are already in the final stages.
Lava flow is growing
Pevolca’s technical director Miguel Ángel Morcuende pointed to the “significant” progress the third and southernmost lava flow has made since Saturday. It has advanced about 1,500 metres out to sea in the past 24 hours. Several greenhouses and homes were once again destroyed.
