Spanish Earthquake Detected Deep Inside Mitchelstown Cave

• A magnitude 5.2 earthquake that shook southern Spain earlier this month was powerful enough to be recorded by sensitive monitoring equipment located deep within Cork's famous Mitchelstown Cave, demonstrating the remarkable reach of seismic waves across Europe.

The earthquake struck the Mediterranean Sea approximately 50 kilometres southeast of Spain's coast on 14 July 2025 at 06:13 Irish time. While residents of Almería and Granada felt the ground shake, and damage was reported at Almería airport, the seismic waves travelled approximately 1,500 kilometres to reach Ireland, where they were detected by the Irish National Seismic Network.

The epicentre was located 27 kilometres southeast of San José, Spain, at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres. The main shock, measuring magnitude 5.2, was followed by several aftershocks reaching up to magnitude 3.4 in the hours that followed.

What makes this particularly fascinating is that the earthquake was clearly recorded at multiple locations across Ireland, including seismic monitoring stations in Wexford, West Cork, Mitchelstown Cave, Kerry, Dublin, Tipperary, Galway and Inch Island in Donegal. The seismograph readings show distinct wave patterns arriving at each station, with the strongest signals recorded at the West Cork station.

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) operates these stations as part of the Irish National Seismic Network, which continuously monitors ground motion across the country. While Ireland experiences relatively few earthquakes of its own, the sensitive equipment regularly detects significant seismic events from around the globe.

Mitchelstown Cave, famous for its stunning limestone formations and tourist appeal, also serves as an ideal location for seismic monitoring. The cave's underground environment provides natural insulation from surface noise and vibrations, making it perfect for detecting distant earthquakes.

The earthquake data was compiled by 25 different international seismological agencies, from Australia to Azerbaijan, demonstrating the global cooperation required to monitor and understand seismic activity. The US Geological Survey confirmed that 55 seismic stations worldwide recorded the event, with the closest being nearly 380 kilometres from the epicentre.

This event serves as a reminder of the interconnected nature of our planet's geology. When the Earth moves in Spain, sensitive instruments in a Cork cave can tell the tale.