The tremor occurred at 18:43 local time, sending ripples through dozens of communities and prompting a surge of calls to the 112 Andalucía emergency dispatch service from residents in the provincial capital and surrounding towns.
According to initial reports from the Spanish emergency services, the seismic activity was widely felt across the region’s urban belt, with calls flooding in from localities including Ogíjares, La Zubia, and Armilla. Regional authorities confirmed that the emergency dispatch centers managed numerous inquiries from citizens who experienced the sudden shaking, though official assessments released immediately following the event indicated no detailed damages associated with the tremor.
IGN Updates Epicenter and Depth Coordinates
Following initial automated readings that placed the epicenter in Alhendín at a depth of ten kilometers, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) refined its macrosísmica calculations. The updated official data positions the epicenter northwest of La Zubia at a shallower depth of five kilometers. The institute maintained the magnitude rating at 3.7 while establishing a maximum perceived intensity of III-IV on the European Macroseismic Scale.
The tremor’s shallow depth contributed to its wide perceptibility across the provincial territory. According to the IGN tracking data, up to 67 distinct population centers and municipal districts noted the ground motion. The highest recorded intensity rating of III-IV—classified under European standards as a moderate vibration that can be perceived by many people inside buildings, provoke the rattling of tableware, glassware, windows or doors and move hanging objects—was registered in Armilla, Calahonda in Motril, Churriana de la Vega, Huétor de Santillán, Ogíjares, and Pedro Ruiz in Santa Fe.
Widespread Perceptions Across 67 Municipalities
The broader metropolitan footprint experienced varying degrees of intensity, categorized systematically by seismologists to measure human and physical response rather than raw energy release. Intensity III, defined as “weak,” which can be felt as a slight swaying or tremor and make hanging objects oscillate slightly, was logged across distinct areas, including Alhendín, Cenes de la Vega, Cúllar Vega, Gójar, Granada capital, Maracena, Santa Fe, and Villa de Otura.
Further out, lower intensities reflecting isolated perceptions or barely perceptible movement were recorded by the IGN. Grade II-III intermediate intensities affected localities such as Albolote, Atarfe, La Zubia, Monachil, and Peligros, while baseline Grade II perceptions—noted as “barely felt,” corresponding to a tremor perceived only in isolated cases by people at rest inside buildings—were registered in additional areas including Alfacar, Dúrcal, Motril, Padul, and Sierra Nevada.
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