Tenerife is ‘More Prepared Than Ever’ if Teide erupts says Island President
Tenerife is “more prepared than ever” for a possible eruption of Teide, said the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, earlier today, Wednesday. She stressed that continuous monitoring and strengthened coordination with local councils provide the island with unprecedented readiness.
Her remarks come ahead of a new meeting of the scientific committee of Pevolca to discuss the latest situation. Scientists agree, she reiterated, that recent “changes in seismic behaviour” observed since 7th February are not indicators of an eruption in the short or medium term.
Dávila emphasised that Teide is “the most closely monitored volcano in the world”, supported by an extensive network of instruments that track underground activity in real time. This includes newly acquired quantum gravimeters operated by the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (Involcan), capable of detecting magma intrusions should they occur.
Increased seismicity linked to gas, not magma
The Cabildo president explained that the most likely cause of the recent increase in seismic activity is a pressurisation process within the hydrothermal system driven by gas injection rather than magma movement.
This behaviour differs from the patterns recorded before the eruptions on El Hierro and La Palma.
Teide has been under heightened scientific attention since the first seismic swarm in 2016, she noted, with monitoring now continuous and comprehensive.
Emergency plans updated across the island
Dávila confirmed that meetings with local councils to update municipal emergency and self-protection plans are ongoing. Seventeen municipalities have already been covered, with sessions scheduled next for Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide.
Both municipalities are expected to host eruption simulation exercises between October and November of this year. Unlike the large-scale deployment carried out in Garachico last September, these drills will focus on public awareness, evacuation practice, self-protection measures, and guiding residents to designated meeting points.
“The aim is to keep the island as prepared as possible. Right now, it is more prepared than ever,” Dávila said, adding that the available instruments allow authorities to detect any underground movement swiftly.
She concluded by urging residents and visitors to rely on official information and avoid the spread of rumours, assuring that scientific and governmental institutions will continue to communicate “rigorously and transparently.”
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