Occurrence of shallow earthquakes following periods of intense rainfall in Tenerife, Canary Islands

The question as to whether there is a seasonality in the occurrence of local seismic activity in the volcanic island of Tenerife, and if it could be associated to intense rainfall events is addressed. Analogue records from the TFMB seismic station and records on the daily precipitation at the Izaña Meteorological Observatory for the period December 1987–October 1992 were used to check this question. Statistical analyses show a non-random component in the temporal distribution of local microearthquakes at greater than 99% confidence, and a relatively strong contemporaneous correlation with intense rainfall periods. If the suggested correlation is confirmed by further investigations, it will allow better identification and discrimination of local seismic events that could be associated with volcanic activity, and thereby increase the performance of surveillance measures.