Lorraine Williamson
For centuries, Mount Teide has towered over Tenerife as both a natural wonder and a symbol of the island’s identity. To visitors, the dormant volcano is a serene backdrop for hiking trails and panoramic views. To scientists, however, it remains an unpredictable giant—one that could erupt again.
Teide last erupted in 1798, but its silence does not mean extinction. Located in a geologically restless zone, the volcano is part of a wider chain that makes the Canary Islands among Europe’s most active volcanic regions. Since the devastating La Palma eruption in 2021, interest in Teide’s stability has grown, with researchers intensifying their studies of seismic and chemical signals.
What the microquakes mean
The calm surface conceals a restless interior. More than 700 microquakes were recorded in August 2025 alone, many beneath the Teide–Pico Viejo complex at around ten kilometres deep. While small and often imperceptible to residents, they indicate magma and gases are moving underground. Subtle shifts in the land and higher carbon dioxide readings also point to an active volcanic system.
Spain’s Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) and the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) are tracking these changes. Both agencies stress that the data does not point to an imminent eruption, but the pattern cannot be ignored.
Calculating the risk
Volcanologists estimate a 30–40% probability of Teide erupting within the next half-century. While that figure suggests a long-term rather than immediate concern, history shows Tenerife cannot afford complacency. In 1706, lava flows destroyed Garachico, then the island’s most important port. Such reminders shape current planning.
Preparing Tenerife’s residents
Authorities have invested in preparedness. This September, Tenerife’s Cabildo will run a major emergency drill in Garachico, testing how services and communities respond to different eruption scenarios. The exercise, part of the EU-Modex project, aims to strengthen coordination and help residents understand how to protect themselves should Teide awaken.
Beyond Tenerife: volcanic risk across the islands
The Canary Islands are no strangers to eruptions.
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La Palma remains the most active, with a 48% eruption probability in the next fifty years. The scars of the 2021 disaster are still fresh.
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El Hierro experienced an underwater eruption as recently as 2011–12.
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Lanzarote endured six years of eruptions in the 1730s, reshaping its landscape permanently.
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Gran Canaria has been quiet for centuries but still carries a 10% long-term risk.
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Fuerteventura and La Gomera are currently classed as the least hazardous.
A sleeping giant, not a dead one
For now, scientists see no signs of an imminent eruption on Tenerife. The kind of rapid ground swelling and surges in gas emissions observed before La Palma’s eruption in 2021 have not occurred.
Still, researchers are clear: Teide sleeps, but it is alive. By maintaining surveillance, refining evacuation plans and building public awareness, Tenerife hopes to be ready—not if, but when—the island’s volcano roars back to life.
Source: Voz Pópuli