Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea consists of a mainland territory (Río Muni) sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon, plus a series of islands in the Gulf of Guinea including Bioko, which hosts the active Pico Basile volcano. The mainland portion lies entirely on the stable Congo craton and experiences very low seismicity. The island of Bioko, however, sits at the southern end of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, making it geologically the most active part of the country.

Bioko Island is dominated by three shield volcanic massifs, of which Pico Basile (3,011 m) is the highest. Although Pico Basile has not had a confirmed historical eruption, the island shows evidence of relatively recent volcanic activity in geological terms, and occasional volcanic [[seismic-wave]] signals have been recorded by regional networks. Any renewed volcanic unrest on Bioko would represent a serious hazard for the capital city of Malabo, which sits on the island's northern coast.

The Gulf of Guinea offshore zone contains ancient transform fault structures that were active during the opening of the South Atlantic but have since been dormant. Occasional low [[magnitude]] intraplate earthquakes along these buried fracture zones are detected by global seismograph networks but do not affect the mainland or islands perceptibly. The Rio Muni mainland is one of the quietest seismic regions in equatorial Africa.

Historical earthquake records for Equatorial Guinea are essentially absent. No damaging earthquake has been documented in the country's history. Seismic hazard is very low on the mainland and low on Bioko Island, though the volcanic hazard on Bioko from Pico Basile and associated edifices warrants monitoring that currently exceeds what is in place.