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Shock map shows how La Palma has been hit by hundreds of earthquakes in just 15 hours sparking fresh fears its volcano will erupt

By Jon Lockett

16th October 2017, 4:10 pm

Updated: 9th August 2018, 10:45 am

THE holiday destination of La Palma has been rocked by HUNDREDS of earthquakes in just 15 hours sparking fears its deadly volcano is about to blow.

A startling new map from the National Geographic Institute (NGI) shows exactly where the tremors have hit – mainly near the slopes of the massive Cumbre Vieja.

national geographic institute

Volcanic activity surrounding the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma between Oct 9th and 14th

There were 44 “official” earthquakes recorded of up to 2.1 magnitude on the sun-soaked island between Friday at 1.52pm and Saturday at 4.17am.

However, experts believe the real figure could be as high as 352 – as many were too small to be officially recorded.

Experts from the NGI are now monitoring the tinderbox site round-the-clock.

A team of geologists will arrive on the isle for CO2 profiles and to research the structure and strength of the volcano.

national geographic institute

This map shows the tremors which have been recorded across the Canary Islands

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La Palma is a tourist hotspot near Tenerife, where thousands of Brits flock every year

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The last time the volcano erupted was in 1971 but La Palma is considered to be the most active island in the archipelago

Experts from the University of California and University College London said if the funnel were to erupt it could tumble in the ocean sending a 500 mph tidal wave hurtling towards the UK’s south-west.This could see a killer 600 metre tidal wave crashing into Britain’s coastal towns and villages.The report’s authors said: “The maximum impact would be felt in some key places in the Canaries… in La Palma, the city of Santa Cruz would be hit by two simultaneous flood waves with devastating consequences.”The news has sparked panic across the island’s 86,000 residents, with fears the active volcano Cumbre Vieja could be set to erupt.

The news has sparked panic across the island’s 86,000 residents

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The island’s 86,000 residents, with fears the active volcano Cumbre Vieja could be set to erupt.

Getty - Contributor

NGI director Maria José Blanco said the island has never experienced a similar seismic swarm

The largest of the tremors which hit on 1pm on Saturday, registered 2.7 on the Richter scale and took place at 17.4 miles Underground.

This was narrowly followed by a quake of 2.6 at the same time on Sunday, and a third of 2.1 hitting the island at midnight on Monday.

Another ten tremors were recorded in the following hours.

Incredibly, the islanders did not actually feel the earthquake because the seismic movement is happening at a great depth.

However, worried government officials have called in volcano experts to examine the out of the ordinary seismic activity, which has been dubbed ‘a seismic swarm.’

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Maria José Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute on the island, said the island has never experienced a similar swarm.

The last time the volcano erupted was in 1971 but La Palma is considered to be the most active island in the archipelago.

This time last year, it was the turn of neighbouring island Mount Teide to be hit with a series of mini earthquakes, after experiencing 100 mini tremors in just four hours.

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