The earth has trembled in Granada and has left a trail of destruction and evacuations in the capital and the metropolitan area, where seven earthquakes with their respective aftershocks have been recorded, most of them with an epicenter very close to the surface, so the population has noticed them with greater intensity.
Of the seven earthquakes, the largest one had its epicenter in the Granada town of Gójar, where at 10:37 a.m. this Tuesday, the National Geographic Institute (IGN) recorded an earthquake of magnitude 4.8, very close to the municipality that in the early hours of Saturday was the scene of another earthquake of magnitude 5. Of the seven consecutive earthquakes, four of them have been above magnitude 4.
This episode begins to resemble the "seismic swarm" that occurred in Granada from December 2020 to August 2021, when IGN experts recorded a total of 3,110 earthquakes, of which six were of magnitude greater than or equal to four degrees and 36 of three. "The pattern that is being seen with the latest seismic movements in Granada is not that of an earthquake and an aftershock, but is more similar to a seismic swarm," the retired professor of Geodynamics at the University of Granada, Ana Crespo, explains to EL MUNDO.
However, the expert clarifies that we will have to see the evolution, although she considers that there will be more earthquakes in the coming weeks that could be months, if the current episode reproduces what happened in 2021. "We are in for a busy summer," she announces. In any case, he does not expect there to be an earthquake even greater than the magnitude 5 already recorded in Granada a few days ago. «This is not going to get any worse. "I'm calm because the houses are made to withstand this," she adds.
Since last August 14, the IGN has recorded 418 earthquakes in the area, 44 of them felt by the population. The Andalusian Institute of Geophysics has counted, for its part, 1,214 movements. The difference is due to the different detection, review and localization systems used by each agency. As Crespo indicates, the series presents similarities with the one recorded in 2021, although experts consider that it is still too early to establish a definitive comparison.
Crespo explains that the tectonic faults in the Granada province do not accumulate much energy because they are fractured. This means that there is a lot of seismic activity - such as the seismic swarm -, but without registering a superearthquake of magnitude greater than 5 or 6. "This is not the San Francisco fault," he reassures, evoking the 1906 earthquake in this city in the United States in which there were more than 700 deaths.
In San Francisco it is on the San Andreas fault, which if activated by a large earthquake would produce an earthquake of magnitude 8 or more, causing catastrophic damage to infrastructure, according to experts. This fault has nothing to do with those in the underground of Granada.
The messages of calm from the expert are joined by those from the authorities. Given the seismic movements, the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has decided to suspend non-essential healthcare activity in health centers throughout the province of Granada during the afternoon of this Tuesday, as a preventive measure and for safety reasons. Therefore, there have been no medical consultations and scheduled surgeries have been suspended. Urgent and oncological activity has been maintained and essential health care is guaranteed.
One of the main actions has been concentrated in Las Gabias, where the preventive eviction of six housing blocks on Francisco de Orellana Street has been agreed upon after cracks were detected. The measure affects 371 homes and more than 600 residents; although only twenty people have been housed in a shelter from the Inturjoven network.
"I want to convey all our support to the mayor of Las Gabias and, especially, to the affected neighbors. The Group of Volunteer Architects (GAVE) is evaluating the properties and the evacuation has been carried out in an orderly and calm manner," said the first vice president and counselor of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz.
The counselor also thanked the mayor for the quick response and the collaboration of the Minister of Housing, Youth and Territorial Planning, Rocío Díaz, who has made the Inturjoven facilities available to the affected families.
After the earthquakes, there have been widespread evacuations from shopping centers, hotels and municipal buildings, while three people, including a minor, have suffered minor injuries. Four health centers in the capital have had to close due to damage to their facilities.
During the tremors, there have been scenes of real panic in some shopping centers. "People were running and screaming and the shelves were falling," a young man who was shopping when the earth moved told Canal Sur Radio.
