La Palma in Canary Islands hit with volcano alert after almost 1000 earthquakes detected in just 5 days

FEARS a volcano in the Canary Islands could erupt have been sparked after almost 1,000 earthquakes were registered in just five days. The series of small quakes and intense seismic activity under the volcanic ridge of La Cumbre Vieja on the holiday island La Palma has put authorities on alert for a possible eruption. SolarpixThere are fears the La Cumbre Vieja volcano could erupt[/caption] AlamyHoliday island la Palma has been hit by almost 1,000 earthquakes in just five days[/caption] Authorities have detected more than 4,200 temblors in what scientists are calling an earthquake swarm around La Palma island since last Saturday. An earthquake swarm is a cluster of quakes in one area during a short period and can indicate an approaching eruption. Since Saturday, there have been almost a thousand earthquakes on the islands and on Tuesday, the Canary Island’s regional government put the island on a yellow alert for eruption. Authorities said the situation “could change quicking in the short term” but officials said they had no indication an eruption was imminent as a scientific committee monitoring the activity said that the number of tremors and their magnitude had fallen Thursday. Even so, the Scientific Committee for the Special Civil Protection Plan and Emergency Response for Volcanic Risks warned there could be a rapid, renewed surge in quakes and kept the public warning level on yellow, according to private Spanish news agency Europa Press. Volcano warnings are announced in accordance with the level of risk, rising through green, yellow, orange and red. Most read in The Sun 'BIGGER COMEBACK THAN RONALDO' Piers Morgan joins The Sun as columnist & talkTV show host TEDDY BARE Love Island’s Teddy lands primetime ITV show as he signs up to STRIP NAKED on TV OH BOY I’m a mum of eight boys and I’m always asked what sex position is best to get one say yes yes yes to the dress Woman’s VERY graphic dress review goes viral KOUL STORY Man Utd 'tried to sign Koulibaly before Varane but Napoli rejected £30m offer' LOST LEGENDS FIVE Gogglebox stars have left show ahead of new series after tragic deaths The committee reported that ground depressions up to 10 centimeters (four inches) deep have formed an occurrence often attributed to magma movements. Before a volcano erupts, there is a gradual increase in seismic activity that can build up over a prolonged period. The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said that by Thursday 11 million cubic meters of molten rock had been pushed into Cumbre Vieja, a dormant volcanic ridge on La Palma where the last eruption was in 1971. The strongest quake so far was a magnitude 3.4 one, according to the institute. La Palma has a population of around 85,000 people. The institute is telling staff on the island to monitor any changes, including testing the water in wells. The Canary Islands are a volcanic archipelago made up of eight islands. At their nearest point to Africa, they are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 02077824104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.