Spain

Spain's seismic hazard is moderate but geographically varied, governed by the country's position near the diffuse Africa–Eurasia plate boundary and its internal Alpine orogenic structures. The highest-hazard region is the southeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula — the Betic Cordillera and the Gulf of Almería — where Africa and Eurasia converge obliquely at approximately 4–5 mm/year, loading a complex system of NE-trending strike-slip and thrust [[fault]] systems. The Canary Islands represent a separate volcanic-tectonic hazard zone far offshore. The Pyrenees in the north add a secondary seismic source. Interior Spain, the Meseta, is generally of low hazard.

Spain's most catastrophic earthquake in recent memory was the 2011 Lorca earthquake (Mw 5.2), which killed nine people and injured more than 300, causing severe damage to historic and modern buildings in the southeastern town of Lorca. Despite its moderate [[magnitude]], the earthquake's shallow depth (~1–3 km) and the resonance of local soils produced unexpectedly intense [[intensity|ground shaking]]. An earlier major event was the 1884 Arenas del Rey earthquake in Granada province (M estimated 6.5–6.7), which killed approximately 750 people. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake — centered offshore southwest of Portugal — was strongly felt throughout southern Spain and generated a [[tsunami]] that devastated Huelva, Cádiz, and other Atlantic coastal towns, killing several hundred Spanish victims. The 1428 earthquake in the eastern Pyrenees (M estimated ~7.0) caused widespread damage in Catalonia and affected a wide area.

The Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault (AGFZ), extending offshore west and south of Spain, represents the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates and the ultimate source of the great 1755 event. Active structures identified offshore include the Gorringe Bank, the Guadalquivir Bank, and the Alboran Sea fault systems — all capable of generating [[tsunami|tsunamis]] affecting Spain's Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Spain has developed probabilistic seismic hazard maps and applies Eurocode 8 seismic provisions (NCSE-02 national standard), with the highest design spectral values in Granada, Almería, and Murcia provinces. The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) operates the national seismic network and contributes to the regional NEAMTWS tsunami warning system.