A clearer image of the island’s volcanic system is not an eruption forecast.
TENERIFE, SPAIN
Scientists have identified four deep underground zones beneath Tenerife that may contain partially molten rock, providing the most detailed three-dimensional image yet of the island’s crust and upper mantle. The research was led by the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute and published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The anomalies extend approximately 10 to 30 kilometres beneath the surface, below a comparatively rigid layer of oceanic crust about 10 kilometres thick. The most prominent structure lies beneath western Tenerife, where seismic waves travel at exceptionally low speeds. Thermodynamic modelling indicates that this area could contain a significant proportion of molten material originating in the upper mantle.
Researchers did not directly observe an open chamber filled exclusively with liquid magma. They measured how seismic waves passed through underground materials and identified regions whose temperature, composition and physical properties are compatible with partial melting. The findings therefore represent a scientific interpretation supported by geophysical modelling, not a visual confirmation of a vast liquid reservoir.
The principal anomaly corresponds geographically with areas where unusual seismic activity has been recorded since 2016. Many recent earthquakes have occurred above or around its boundaries, suggesting that deep magma accumulation, gases or other fluids may be influencing the surrounding rock. Their migration toward shallower hydrothermal systems could help explain some of Tenerife’s hybrid and low-frequency seismic events.
However, the discovery does not indicate that magma is currently moving toward the surface or that an eruption is imminent. Volcanic systems can store partially molten material at depth for long periods without producing an eruption. Scientists would expect additional warning signals, including stronger and progressively shallower earthquakes, sustained ground deformation and significant changes in gas emissions, before considering an eruptive process probable.
Tenerife remains an active volcanic island and is continuously monitored by scientific institutions. Its most recent eruption occurred at Chinyero in 1909. The new model improves understanding of how deep magma storage may connect with seismicity and degassing, giving authorities a stronger foundation for interpreting future changes without turning every underground anomaly into an immediate public alarm.
Hechos que no se doblan. / Facts that do not bend.