Tenerife Ready for Teide Eruption, No Immediate Threat Seen

Tenerife's government says it's ready for a possible eruption of Mount Teide. President Rosa Dávila stated that the island's monitoring systems and emergency plans are fully prepared. This announcement comes as people are closely watching the volcano's seismic activity, which has caused some worry in the Canary Islands after recent eruptions on La Palma and El Hierro.

According to Dávila, scientists agree that the seismic changes recorded since February 7 do not point to an eruption happening in the short or medium term. The president highlighted that Teide is "the most monitored volcano globally," thanks to a vast network of instruments. This includes new quantum gravimeters from the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan), which can detect magma moving beneath the surface.

The most likely explanation for the recent increase in seismic activity is that gases are building pressure in the volcano's hydrothermal system, rather than magma moving. Dávila pointed out that this pattern is different from what was seen before the eruptions on El Hierro and La Palma, which supports the experts' current assessment. Monitoring of Teide has been more intense since a series of tremors in 2016, with scientists keeping a constant watch.

Alongside scientific monitoring, the island government is also updating local emergency plans. So far, seventeen town councils have reviewed their protocols, and upcoming meetings will include Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide. These two towns will hold eruption drills in October and November. These exercises will focus on making citizens aware, practicing evacuations, and identifying safe meeting points, unlike previous drills that involved a larger number of staff.

President Dávila emphasized that it's important for people to get their information from official sources to avoid rumors. She confirmed that both the government and scientific groups are committed to communicating accurately and openly.