The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, about 3 km to the northwest of the city of Atarfe in Granada Province, Spain slightly before 10.55 pm local time (slightly before 9.55 pm GMT) on Tuesday 26 January 2021. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, but it was felt locally.
The quake is likely to be related to Spain's location on the Iberian Peninsula and the natural tectonic stresses encountered there. Iberia is located on the extreme southwest of the Eurasian Plate, close to the margin with Africa, which is pushing into Europe from the south. At the same time there is a lesser area of geological expansion beneath the Bay of Biscay, pushing Iberia southwards. This leads to considerable tectonic stress in southern Spain, leading in turn to the occasional Earthquake.
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