Slight increase in seismic activity of Fernandina volcano, in Galapagos
The Fernandina volcano, located on the island of the same name in the Ecuadorian archipelago of Galapagos, has a slight increase in its seismic activity, the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School reported on Saturday.
In a report published on its Facebook account, the institute said that "the activity of the volcano is low and during the last weeks it presents a slight increase in seismic activity and deformation."
He adds that on Saturday there were six seismic events, the largest recorded at 20:13 local time (01:13 GMT on Sunday) of 4.3 degrees on the Richter open scale, with a depth of 10.4 kilometers.
"This type of earthquakes can precede eruptions in the volcano, as has been observed on past occasions. You cannot predict the occurrence of an eruption, its location or its size," said the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School.
Another earthquake recorded on Saturday on Fernandina Island was one of magnitude 3.50 that occurred at 9:10 p.m. local time (02:10 GMT on Sunday) at a depth of 10.74 kilometers and 89.18 kilometers from Puerto Villamil, at a latitude of 0.35 degrees and a longitude of 91.53 degrees.
In the report on Facebook the institute noted that it remains attentive to the activity on the volcano, and will report on the changes that can be registered.
The Galapagos archipelago, listed in 1978 as a natural heritage of humanity by Unesco, is located about a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian continental coasts, and for its rich biodiversity it is considered a natural laboratory for research.
Ecuador is located in the Pacific Belt or Ring of Fire, which concentrates some of the most important subduction zones (sinking of tectonic plates) in the world and is the scene of strong seismic activity.
In addition to Ecuador, the Belt, which is shaped like a horseshoe, includes a large number of countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, United States and Canada
