Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Shakes Gran Canaria and is Felt on Other Islands

The seismic event, with an epicenter at sea north of the island, occurred at a depth of 30 kilometers and was perceived in Fuerteventura and Tenerife.

Generic image of the ocean near Gran Canaria.
IA

Generic image of the ocean near Gran Canaria.

A preliminary magnitude 4.8 earthquake on the Richter scale has shaken the waters north of Gran Canaria this Friday at 09:50 AM, a tremor that was widely felt across the island and reached other islands in the archipelago.

The National Geographic Institute (IGN) has reviewed automatic data from the seismic network, confirming the movement originated at a depth of 30 kilometers. The epicenter is located at sea, 59 kilometers from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) has certified that the Canary Seismic Network registered the event. Scientists from Involcan have clarified that this earthquake is unrelated to the volcanic seismicity in Tenerife.
The IGN's Macroseismic Intensity (EMS) map details that the maximum level reached was intensity III, clearly perceived inside buildings. Populations in Gran Canaria that registered this intensity include Becerril (in Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria), Carrizal (in Ingenio), the urban center of Gáldar and the neighborhoods of Los Quintanas and Piso Firme, as well as Puerto de las Nieves (in Agaete) and Tenteniguada (in Valsequillo de Gran Canaria).
Intensity II-III and II were documented in areas such as Agüimes, El Lomo (Valleseco), Almatriche (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Casa de la Cal (Vega de San Mateo), and Temisas.
The tremor was also felt on neighboring islands. Residents of Betancuria, in Fuerteventura, reported a loud noise associated with the ground movement and felt the tremor. In Tenerife, the earthquake was felt in municipalities like Puerto de la Cruz and Güímar.
In locations on Gran Canaria such as Agaete, Mogán, and La Aldea de San Nicolás, eyewitnesses describe that interior structures moved visibly for several seconds.