AN EARTHQUAKE in the inland village of Albatera (Alicante province) close to Murcia's north-eastern border reached 4.2 on the Richter scale, according to the National Geographical Institute (IGN) on Twitter.
The quake was registered yesterday (Monday) at 16.40, meaning a number of residents were awoken from their post-lunch siesta in Aspe, Novelda and Elche (Alicante province) and Abanilla, Fortuna and even as far away as Cieza (Murcia), which is at least 40 minutes by road from the epicentre.
As the tremor was a long way underground – about 11 kilometres from the surface – it is not thought to have caused any damage and a quake of this magnitude and so far down would not typically result in personal injury.
Spain's south-east and centre-east sit on a fault line and earthquakes in the provinces of Murcia, Almería and Granada – and, very occasionally, that of Alicante – are common, but usually minor.
The vast majority are not felt because they are of low magnitudes, between 1 and 2.5, or because they are a long way underground.
Rarely, a quake reaching as high as 4.5 much closer to the surface may occur, which would cause momentarily and alarming ground-movement but rarely any damage greater than that produced by an ordinary severe winter storm.
Photograph by the National Geographical Institute (IGN)
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