An earthquake struck off the coast of southeast Spain round 7.15 am on Monday July 14th, horrifying many residents of this a part of the nation as they had been beginning their days. This is what we all know to this point concerning the 5.4 magnitude seismic exercise.
An earthquake struck off the coast of Murcia and Almería this morning at 7.13 am, in accordance with information from Spain’s Nationwide Geographic Institute (IGN).
Seismologists positioned the epicentre at a depth of two kilometres and about 32 kilometres away from Níjar in Almería, in southeast Spain.
How massive was the earthquake?
Preliminary reviews this morning estimated the quake to be a magnitude of 5.5 or 6 on the Richter scale. In a while, nonetheless, Javier Fernández Fraile, a seismologist with the Nationwide Seismic Community, confirmed it was 5.4.
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake is taken into account average however sturdy sufficient for individuals to really feel it, though injury to well-built buildings isn’t frequent.
The place in Spain was the earthquake felt?
In keeping with IGN information, in 57 municipalities in Almería in addition to in 21 in Granada, 9 in Jaén and 5 in Málaga .
It has additionally been felt within the Levante space, in 27 municipalities in Murcia and 7 in Alicante, in addition to in Albacete, Ciudad Actual, and even within the capital Madrid and and the north African Spanish enclave of Melilla.
Some locals interviewed within the Spanish press have stated the tremors lasted “round 30 seconds”, others have stated the motion was not very violent however that it lasted “three to 5 minutes”.
Many individuals additionally took to social media to voice their experiences. Inma R wrote on X: “I used to be having breakfast on the sofa when abruptly the entire home and furnishings began shaking, the sofa swaying. It solely took a couple of minutes, but it surely made me dizzy and this earthquake in Cartagena was so sturdy.”
“Who wants an alarm when you may have an earthquake?” one other wrote jokingly.
The 5.5 magnitude occurred on Monday morning at 7.13, on July 14th 2025. Map: IGN Sismología
Was anybody harm or injured?
Andalusia and Murcia’s 112 emergency providers have reported dozens of calls because of the earthquake however have to this point haven’t acquired any reviews of accidents.
Was there any injury to buildings?
Once more, the 112 service confirmed that nobody has reported injury to private property.
There was, nonetheless, slight injury to Almería Airport, the place a part of the cafeteria roof collapsed because of the aftershock round 9.55 am on Monday morning. No accidents had been recorded and the airport is functioning as regular.
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What ought to I do If I’m in an space affected by the earthquake?
Alerts had been despatched to the cellphones of individuals on this space of Spain (Almería, Murcia and Granada), with a set of suggestions and directions. This was actually a Google alert and never one from the Spanish authorities, because the state-run ES-Alert didn’t ship out a warning.
The alert included placing on sneakers earlier than shifting round, even inside the house, and checking for the odor of fuel. For those who do odor fuel, it’s advisable to show off the constructing’s provide or evacuate if it’s not potential to take action safely.
The message warned of the necessity to keep away from broken constructions, examine for cracks or indicators of potential collapse, and keep away from touching downed energy strains or utilizing broken chimneys. In coastal areas, individuals had been suggested to maneuver to greater floor after the quake because of the threat of a tsunami.
Is there a risk of a tsunami with earthquakes like this?
Initially warnings had been despatched out in coastal areas as a precaution, however the tsunami warning has now been cancelled and it’s not thought of to be a menace by the authorities.
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What’s the chance of extra aftershocks or one other earthquake?
The IGN has recorded a number of new tremors within the space with magnitudes between 3.4 and 1.8. Which means that there may very well be just a few extra. “Doable aftershocks usually are not dominated out”, in accordance with Fernández.
The earthquake occurred in an space of excessive seismic exercise, situated on the border between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, so future earthquakes within the space can’t be dominated out.
There have been a number of earthquakes within the area all through historical past. The worst one was in 1522 which was essentially the most damaging ever recorded in Spain. The epicentre was within the Alpujarras in Granada, however round 80 % of the houses Almería had been additionally destroyed.
The areas with the very best seismic exercise within the nation is the Cordilleras Béticas area, situated within the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. This space encompasses components of Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia, in addition to the provinces of Alicante, Almería, Cádiz, Granada, Málaga, and Murcia.
Nieves Sánchez, vice chairman of the Official School of Geologists, warns that Málaga and Granada are at the moment the areas at best seismic threat in Spain and doesn’t rule out the opportunity of a significant earthquake occurring at any time.
