Laurence Dollimore
AN earthquake has left parts of Andalucia and Malaga trembling tonight.
Amid heavy rainfall and wind, a 3.6 magnitude quake struck the Ventas de Zafarraya area of Granada.
The phenomenon occurred at around 10.50pm, according to the National Geographic Institute.
Shaking was noticed as far away as the Axarquia, Malaga city and other points near or on the Costa del Sol.
Expats took to social media with claims they felt and heard the quake.
Residents in Velez-Malaga claimed their sofas and tables moved while others in Trapiche said they heard a large thunder-like rumble.
It’s not unusual for Andalucia to experience earthquakes, with regular tremors failing to reach much above four on the Richter scale.
In 2018, however, scientists discovered a new fault line under the westernmost part of the Alboran Sea following an expedition led by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Granada.
Andalucian scientists believe the new fault zone was the cause of a 2004 quake which killed more than 600 people with a magnitude of more than 6.3 in Al Hoceima, northern Morocco.
They also believe it was behind strong seismic activity between 1993-4, and that it could still trigger relatively high magnitude earthquakes such as the 6.3 earthquake which rocked Melilla and several areas of Andalucia on January 25, 2016.
Did you feel the earthquake this evening? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es
