A 4.1-magnitude earthquake shook southern Spain on Sunday, sending dozens of calls to emergency services as the tremor was felt across a region popular with British holidaymakers. The quake struck at 11.59am local time, with its epicentre near the town of Librilla in the Murcia region, according to Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN).
The tremor lasted several seconds and was also felt in neighbouring Alicante and Albacete. Alicante is a favourite destination for British tourists, while nearby Benidorm draws millions of UK visitors each year. The quake was centred at a depth of about three miles, with the city of Murcia lying roughly 18 miles from the epicentre.
Emergency Response
Emergency services in Murcia were inundated with calls following the earthquake. In a post on X, the Region of Murcia's 112 Emergency Coordination Centre said: "The 112 Emergency Coordination Centre for the Region of Murcia has received more than 80 calls at various points in the region. So far, no personal or material damage has been reported."
The centre also noted the seismic movement had a magnitude of 3.9, as felt across the region, with no injuries or damage recorded.
Seismic Activity on the Rise
According to the IGN, the latest quake follows a recent uptick in seismic activity in the area. The institute reported seven tremors in the days leading up to Sunday's earthquake, bringing the total over the past month to 21. It also highlighted that the 4.1-magnitude event was the strongest in the region in the past six months, surpassing a 2.3-magnitude quake recorded on June 3.
This tremor comes just days after a powerful 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Naples, Italy, on Friday, which damaged buildings and vehicles and left around 20 people injured.
Historical Context
Spain has experienced far more destructive earthquakes in the past. In 2011, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit the southern town of Lorca, killing 10 people in the country's deadliest earthquake in decades. The town, located southwest of Alicante, suffered extensive damage, with several buildings collapsing, hundreds of residents forced from their homes, and a hospital evacuated. Cars were also crushed beneath falling masonry.
Southern Spain is one of the country's most earthquake-prone regions because Andalusia and Murcia sit on the northern edge of the collision zone between the Eurasian and Nubian (African) tectonic plates. The Nubian plate continues to move northwards towards Eurasia at a rate of around 4mm to 5mm per year.
This plate movement, which helped form the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the Alps in central Europe, still causes seismic activity in southern Spain today. The activity is concentrated along the Betic Cordillera, a mountain range stretching from the Gibraltar Arc through Malaga, Granada, Almeria and Murcia to the Mediterranean coast.
