AN EARTHQUAKE measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was reported yesterday afternoon in Fuerteventura, according to a late-night report from the National Geographical Institute (IGN).
Its epicentre was 10 kilometres out to sea off the coast of Betancuria (pictured), to the west of the island at exactly 15.53 – the second in the Canaries as many days after a quake of 1.9 was recorded on Friday at 01.44 to the north of Tenerife.
In the latter case, the tremor was barely felt and mostly went unnoticed, as is habitual with earthquakes of such a low magnitude.
A number of calls were made to the emergency hotline, 112, after yesterday's tremor off the shores of Fuerteventura, but although the ground moving caused widespread alarm, no damage is believed to have occurred.
According to the IGN, with earthquakes of around the 3 mark on the Richter scale, fewer than 1% are actually felt, and usually only by people who are lying down or in precarious positions, such as up a ladder.
Additionally, the Fuerteventura tremor was 15 kilometres below the surface – far enough down not to cause any damage, unlike the quake of 5.6 in Lorca, Murcia in May 2011 which was only a kilometre underground and caused widespread destruction.
