Earthquake hits 4.6 on the Richter scale in Almeria Province

ALMERIA was rocked by 77 separate earth tremors this week in what experts have described as the biggest seismic activity in the province for years.
Amazingly, 38 of the tremors took place in less than 48 hours, the largest of which registered 4.6 on the Richter Scale and lasted some 12 seconds. Hours earlier, a tremor of similar magnitude was reported by Andalucía’s geophysical institute.
The epicentre was located some 44 kilometres south of the coast of Almería in the Mar de Alborán.

The first tremor on Monday morning registered 3.9 and subsequent shocks continued until Tuesday morning.
Minor tremors were also reported in Roquetas de Mar, El Ejido, as far east as Huércal Overa and westwards in two villages in the province of Granada.

Despite the frequency of the tremors there were no reports, either of injuries or damage to property, although residents in Aguadulce who contacted a Spanish newspaper claimed their homes had been violently shaken. Patients at the Torrecárdenas hospital in Almería city also reportedly rushed from their wards in alarm. Despite the fact that the biggest tremors occurred early in the morning, thousands of residents reported feeling the effects of the tremors.
In response, the government announced this week that it was to deploy a mobile unit to track any further tremors. The special vehicle, which belongs to the national geographic institute, is linked to a satellite and can process data in real time.
Although the province is known to be very active seismically, the latest tremors are the most powerful since 1993. On that occasion, a 5.0 tremor damaged houses in Berja and Adra.

Before that, no fewer than eight earthquakes struck the village of Berja during a weekend in September 1980. The last tremor occurred in Huércal Overa on October 11 and registered 3.8 on the Richter Scale.
There are numerous fault lines along the south east coast of Spain, stretching from Alicante through the Crevillente fault zone to Almería, Málaga and beyond. One of the major areas of seismic activity is the Carboneras Fault Zone, which joins two tectonic plates, stretching north east to south west inland and deep in the Mediterranean Sea.

Although experts have been quick to dismiss the importance of the latest tremors, a 2006 study by a team of German geologists from the University of Hamburg concluded that there was a “tsunami potential…in the Alborán Sea”. However, experts agree that regular small tremors help to relieve tectonic pressure, thereby reducing the risk of a single major, and potentially catastrophic, earthquake.

The last major earthquake in Almería to result in a great loss of life occurred on September 22, 1522 and registered 6.8 on the Richter Scale. The resulting tsunami killed some 2,500 people and caused widespread destruction throughout the western Mediterranean.

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Help Beat Breast Cancer

The innovative scheme, open to those already diagnosed with the disease, hopes to educate women in ‘patient schools’ and equip them with information they can pass on to other women who may be in similar situations.

The regional government plan announced in mid-October included Almería, Málaga, Sevilla and Granada, and coincided with International Breast Awareness Month amid a world-wide fundraising campaign for breast cancer charities. In Mojacar, expat fundraiser and line-dancing teacher Pamela Woodbyrne held a ‘Dance for Breast Cancer’ night last week in support of the cause, raising hundreds of euros in the process.
Pamela suffered the loss of her 42-year-old niece last year from cancer and felt moved to act positively in some way to help.

An early detection mammogram programme in Almería, launched in 1995, has diagnosed more than 300 women in the province who may not have known they had the disease prior to the test.
Over the 13-year period, nearly 60,000 women have been tested in the province.

The Spanish association against Cancer (AECC) has fought to achieve a target of 100 per cent of all women over 50 to take their free breast cancer test. The turnout in Almería has reached over 80 per cent to date.
The association wants that figure to increase. In a statement released this week it said: ”Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in its early stages have much higher chances of survival. It is fundamental to catch it early.”

It is also recognised that while treatments for breast cancer are improving, drug efficiency also depends on early diagnosis.
In recognition that Andalucía’s rural geography disperses the population over vast areas, causing access problems to hospitals and medical centres, eight mobile units have been set up for mammogram testing, one of which is dedicated to Almería alone.

All women aged over 50 and registered with their local town hall, are eligible for a free test and should consult their GP if they have not received a call-up by letter.

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