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Friday, December 27, 2013

Earthquake of 5.1 on El Hierro

The strongest earthquake since the beginning of the increase in seismic activity on El Hierro in the summer of 2011 was widely felt by the population about half an hour before sunset. The magnitude was measured as 5.1  and it occurred at a depth of 11 kilometres  in the sea area just west of Frontera. The quake was also felt on the islands of La Palma, Tenerife and here on La Gomera. Several GPS stations had reported a rising of the terrain on El Hierro by up to 5,7 centimetres in just four days. There also were abnormal radon gas levels measured just before the current renewed activity began. Several minor aftershocks were recorded after the 5.1 quake.
On El Hierro some roads were closed as a precautionary measure, leaving some people stranded in remote locations. There are no reports of damage at this moment, but the tremor caused many rockfalls and landslides in unpopulated areas. Here's a short video of some:

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