Lava and smoke are seen following the eruption of a volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park at El Paso, on the Canary Island of La Palma, on Sunday. (Borja Suarez/Reuters) Itahiza Dominguez, head of seismology of Spain's National Geology Institute, told local TV station RTVC that although it is too early to tell how long this one would last, prior "eruptions on the Canary Islands lasted weeks or even months." After days of what scientists call an "earthquake swarm," authorities on La Palma had already started to evacuate residents with reduced mobility on Sunday shortly before ground broke open. 5 villages put on evacuation alert The area near the southern tip of the island where the ridge is located is sparsely populated. Residents of the five nearby villages had already been told to be on alert and ready to leave their homes in case of an eruption. A 3.8-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption as vibrations from the seismic activity were felt on the surface. The Scientific Committee of the Volcano Risk Prevention Plan said stronger earthquakes "are likely to be felt and may cause damage to buildings." The committee of experts also noted that a stretch of the island's southwest coast was at risk for landslides and rock falls.
