354 Earthquakes at El Hierro Island (Canary Islands) During December 2013

Lorie Kramer

The month of December saw 354 earthquakes at El Hierro in the Canary Islands. This number is up 208 from November 2013. The daily high was 115 quakes on December 23rd.  The daily low was 0 on December 2, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, and 19.

A spike in activity occured the week of December 22nd with 115 earthquakes on December 23rd, and a 5.1 M quake that shook the area on December 27th.  This earthquake, and the uptick in activity, caused renewed attention to the area amid concerns of stronger earthquakes occurring.

The December activity brought the 2013 year total to 2470 earthquakes. December 2012 had a total of 98 earthquakes. Although the activity slowed down at the end of December 2013, the area is still active and will be monitored closely.

Information on earthquake counts for activity in the El Hierro and Cumbre Vieja, Canary Islands area, with links to additional information can be found here:El Hierro Earthquake Count – Daily, Monthly