How frequent are earthquakes in Spain?

Spain has relatively few earthquakes. Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 8,700 quakes on average per year in Spain. However, Spain has had at least 7 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 15 to 20 years.

How many earthquakes occur every year in Spain?

On average, Spain has about 465 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year (Mag 4+: 20.9 quakes per year).

Volcanoes of Spain (18)

Go to: Eruptions FAQ Quakes News

Canary Islands (7 volcanoes)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Spain

In historic times, at least 4 volcanoes have been active in Spain, including La Palma, El Hierro, and Tenerife volcanoes. A total of 16 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since around 1481 AD.
The table below lists the most recent volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Spain.

Date	Volcano	VEI	Region	Deaths	Damage
2021 Sep 19 - Dec 13	La Palma Tajogaite eruption	3	Canary Islands
2021 Sep 19 (eruption 2021 Sep 19 - Dec 13)	La Palma	3	Canary Islands	1	very heavy	Info
2021 Sep 19: January 2023 - The body of a 72-year-old man was found in November 2021 in the municipality of El Paso in an exclusion zone, an area that was off limits to the public without express permission due to the eruption. A court in the Canary Islands determined that the autopsy confirmed the man "died after inhaling toxic gases, which certifies that the disaster did claim a human life". (reference #13407) December 25: According to the Cadastre, the data on homes and buildings affected have been placed at 1,676, of which 1,345 are for residential use, 180 for agricultural use, 75 for industrial buildings, 44 for leisure and hospitality buildings, 16 for public and the remaining 16 for other uses. Meanwhile, the Copernicus satellite puts 2,988 buildings destroyed and 138 buildings damaged. The final data will be obtained once these numbers can be filtered and compared with the damage in place. The hectares of crops affected have been 370, most of them being bananas, with 228.69. The vineyards, with 68.05 hectares, and the avocados, with 27.43 hectares, have been the other most damaged plantations. To these data must be added 90 hectares of isolated crops. In addition, 412 hectares of banana trees have been covered by ashes, while 128 have been vineyards and 84 avocados. (reference #13131) November 14: The area affected by the volcanic eruption reaches 1,019.79 hectares. According to the data provided by the Cadastre, to date 1,460 buildings have been affected, of which 1,181 are for residential use, 150 for agricultural use, 67 for industrial use, 34 for leisure and hospitality, 13 for public use and 15 of other uses. (reference #13083) October 6: The area affected by the eruption reached 421.93 hectares. 93.4 hectares of crops have been affected, mainly banana trees (35.6 ha.), vineyards (32.9 ha.) and avocados (6 , 7 ha.). (reference #13062) Sept 29: The Copernicus Emergency Management Service revealed the molten rock had destroyed 656 homes and stretched across an area of 267 hectares. (reference #13059) Sept 21: The lava flow from the volcano that erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has destroyed 166 houses and scorched 225 acres (103 hectares) of land as it inches its way toward the ocean, the EU’s Copernicus Earth Monitoring Service said Tuesday. (reference #13054) Sept 20: The lava left black swathes of destruction through the sparsely populated, green countryside and destroyed around 100 houses, officials said. (reference #13052) Cited references #1250 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) (2001): EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, link #13052 Associated Press (2021): Lava from Spanish volcano heads toward sea; no injuries. Published 20 September 2021. Link #13054 EFE News Agency (2021): Lava from La Palma volcanic eruption devours scores of houses. Published 21 September 2021. Link #13059 Euro News (2021): La Palma volcano: How satellite imagery is helping us understand the eruption. Published 29 September 2021. Link #13062 Canary Islands Government (2021): The flows remain stable and a lava tube connects the emitting center with the sea. Published 6 October 2021. Link #13083 Canary Islands Government (2021): The lava continues to reach the sea without overflowing the perimeter already affected. Published 14 November 2021. Link #13131 Canary Islands Government (2021): The eruption of La Palma is declared over after 85 days and 8 hours of duration and 1,219 hectares of lava flows. Published 25 December 2021. Link #13407 AFP (2023): Spain confirms first death from 2021 volcano eruption. Published 2 January 2023. Link Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
2011 Oct 10 - 2012 Mar 5	El Hierro Submarine S flank, Tagaro cone	2	Canary Islands (Spain)
1971 Oct 26 - Nov 18	La Palma Teneguia	2	Canary Islands
1971 Oct 28 (eruption 1971 Oct 26 - Nov 18)	La Palma	2	Canary Islands	1-50 (*)	light	Info
1971 Oct 28: Casualties occurred but very little damage reported. (reference #9675) Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1949 Jun 24 - Jul 30	La Palma San Juan, Llano del Banco, Hoyo Negro	2?	Canary Islands
1909 Nov 18 - Nov 27	Tenerife NW rift zone (Chinyero)	2	Canary Islands (Spain)
1824 Jul 31 - Oct 24	Lanzarote Tao, Nuevo del Fuego, Tinguatón	2	Canary Islands (Spain)
1798 Jun 9 - Sep 14 ?	Tenerife SW flank of Pico Viejo (Chahorra)	3	Canary Islands (Spain)
1730 Sep 1 - 1736 Apr 16	Lanzarote Montañas del Fuego	3	Canary Islands (Spain)
1730 Sep 1 (eruption 1730 Sep 1 - 1736 Apr 16)	Lanzarote	2	Canary Islands (Spain)	1-50 (*)		Info
1730 Sep 1: Johnston-Lavis reports deaths from "mephitic vapours." Other sources do not report fatalities. Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1712 Oct 9 - Dec 3	La Palma El Charco	2	Canary Islands
1706 May 5 - Jun 13	Tenerife NW rift zone (Garachico)	2	Canary Islands (Spain)
1706 May 5 (eruption 1706 May 5 - Jun 13)	Tenerife	2	Canary Islands (Spain)		heavy	Info
1706 May 5: Start Date: 1706 May 5. Stop Date: 1706 Jun 13. Confirmed, VEI 2. Historical Observations. NW rift zone (Garachico). (Reference #2432) [...] it was related with a fissure-type eruption that was located closer to Garachico. (reference #12938) In 1706 lava from Tenerife buried the port town and harbor of Garachico, at the time the finest most frequented harbor on the island. (p. 278) (reference #6996) Cited references #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). #6996 Blong, R.J. (1984): Volcanic Hazards. A Sourcebook on the Effects of Eruptions. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. #12938 Galindo, I., Romero, C., Martin-Gonzalez, E., Vegas, J., Sanchez, N. (2021): A Review on Historical Tsunamis in the Canary Islands: Implications for Tsunami Risk Reduction. Geosciences. 2021; 11(5):222. DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11050222 Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1704 Dec 31 - 1705 Mar 27	Tenerife NW rift zone (Siete Fuentes, Fasnia, Güímar)	2	Canary Islands (Spain)
1677 AD Nov 17 - 1678 Jan 21	La Palma N & S flanks of San Antonio (Fuentecaliente)	2	Canary Islands
1677 AD Nov 22 (eruption 1677 AD Nov 17 - 1678 Jan 21)	La Palma	2	Canary Islands	1		Info
1677 AD Nov 22: Gas killed one man and many animals. Johnston-Lavis gives date as 1678 and deaths from "mephitic vapours". (reference #9675) Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1646 AD Oct 2 - Dec 21	La Palma South flank of San Martín (Tigalate)	2	Canary Islands
1585 AD May 19 - Aug 10	La Palma Tahuya	2	Canary Islands
1492 AD Aug 24 or before	Tenerife NW rift zone (Montaña Boca Cangrejo)	?	Canary Islands (Spain)
1481 ±11 y. AD	La Palma Tacande (Montaña Quemada)	2	Canary Islands

(*) Estimated numbers

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Spain FAQ

+When was the last volcanic eruption in Spain?

The last volcanic eruption in Spain was from La Palma volcano in 2021.

+When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Spain?

The first historically documented eruption occurred around 1481 AD from La Palma volcano.

+How often do volcanoes in Spain erupt?

Since 1481 AD, Spain has seen at least 16 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 34 years.

+How active are the volcanoes in Spain?

Spain is volcanically occasionally active: Since 1900, at least 3 volcanoes in Spain have been active.Since 1900, Spain has had 5 volcanic eruptions from 3 individual volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions have been recorded erupted during 6 years out of 126 as of now. This means, at least one volcano in Spain has been in eruption in one in 21 years on average. The last volcano to erupt in Spain was La Palma volcano, which erupted in 2021, 3 years ago.

+When was the largest volcanic eruption in Spain?

The largest eruption in Spain in historic times was from La Palma volcano. It occurred in 2021. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest earthquakes: Spain

In the past 7 days, Spain has had 2 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above and 22 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0. There were also 99 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel.

A Magnitude 2.4 earthquake occurred in Almeria, Andalusia, Spain 10 hours ago.

Magnitude 2.4 Earthquake Almeria, Andalusia, Spain - 10 hours ago

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Nearest Volcano / Location
Mar 27, 08:50 am (GMT +1) 10 hours ago	2.4 1 km	261 km (162 mi) SE of Calatrava	E Sorbas.Al 1 report	Info
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Mar 26, 10:52 pm (Universal Time) 19 hours ago	2.4 37 km	69 km (43 mi) NE of La Palma	56 km northeast of Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain	Info
Mar 26, 06:41 pm (Universal Time) 23 hours ago	3.4 65 km	403 km (250 mi) S of Calatrava	41 km southeast of Tetouan, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco I FELT IT - 2 reports	Info
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 25, 11:50 am (GMT +1) 2 days ago	3.1 7 km	315 km (196 mi) SE of Calatrava	MediterrÁneo-Cabo DE Palos I FELT IT	Info
Monday, March 24, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 24, 01:25 am (GMT +1) 4 days ago	2.5 1 km	210 km (130 mi) S of Calatrava	33 km southwest of Granada, Granada, Andalusia, Spain 1 report	Info
Sunday, March 23, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 23, 03:39 pm (GMT +1) 4 days ago	2.4 0 km	192 km (119 mi) E of Calatrava	15 km northwest of Caravaca, Murcia, Spain	Info
Saturday, March 22, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 22, 08:52 pm (GMT +1) 5 days ago	2.5 6 km	284 km (176 mi) E of Calatrava	14 km east of Murcia, Murcia, Spain 5 reports	Info

See Recent Quakes

Significant Earthquakes in Spain since 1900

The deadliest earthquake in Spain since 1900 was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake in

Spain, Murcia on May, 11, 2011. It resulted in 10 fatalities and between 100-1,000 injured people.
An unknown number houses and other buildings were destroyed and between 100-1,000 damaged.

Date	Mag	Region	Deaths	Damage
2011 May 11	5.1	Lorca	10	light	Info
2005 Jan 29	4.4	La Paca, Zarcilla De Ramos	0	moderate	Info
1999 Feb 2	4.8	Mula, Puebla De Mula	0	heavy	Info
1956 Apr 19	?	Spain	7	heavy	Info
1954 Mar 29	7.0	Spain	0	heavy	Info
1930 Jul 5	5.6	Montilla	0	moderate	Info
1910 Oct 27	?	Morocco: Melilla; Canary I: Penon De La Gomera	0	moderate	Info

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K

All Quakes in History

Map

Oldest quakes (until 1960) are shown in yellow, most recent (from 2000) in red.

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Significant Earthquakes in Spain FAQ

+Which was the deadliest earthquake in Spain since 1900?

The deadliest earthquake in Spain since 1900 was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake in Spain, Murcia on May, 11, 2011. It resulted in 10 fatalities and between 100-1,000 injured people.

+Which was the earthquake that caused most damage in Spain since 1900?

The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake in Spain, Murcia on Feb, 2, 1999. It caused no known fatalities and estimated $44.004 million US Dollars (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.

+How many people were killed by earthquakes in Spain since 1900?

Since 1900, at least 2 earthquakes claimed an estimated total of 17 fatalities in Spain.

+How much damage did earthquakes cause in Spain since 1900?

There were 7 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $110.004 million US Dollars combined.

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Teide volcano (Canary Islands): seismic swarm

The swarm of small earthquakes has been occurring beneath the Teide volcano (image: VolcanoDiscovery)

A new seismic swarm started to occur beneath the volcano, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) reported. ... Read all

Wed, 13 Jul 2022, 14:03

Teide volcano (Tenerife Island, Canary Islands): seismic activity 2000-2022 (video animation)

Distribution vs. depth vs. magnitude of earthquakes at Teide volcano during 2000-2022 (image: Volcanes De Canarias)

The Volcanes De Canarias published an interesting video animation depicting the seismic activity of Tenerife Island over the past 22 years (the warmer the circle colors are, the shallower quakes occur; the larger the circles, the stronger quakes). ... Read all