An earthquake measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale was felt on Friday on the island of Terceira in the Azores, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) announced.
The earthquake was recorded at the stations of the Azores Archipelago Seismic Network at 18:46 local time (19:46 in Lisbon) and the epicentre was located near Doze Ribeiras.
“According to the information available so far, this earthquake did not cause personal or material damage and was felt with maximum intensity II/III (modified Mercalli scale) in the parish of Santa Bárbara (Angra do Heroísmo),” the IPMA said in a statement.
The shock was also felt with less intensity in the parish of São Bartolomeu de Regatos, also in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
The event is part of the seismovolcanic crisis that has affected the island of Terceira since June 2022.
On June 27, due to seismic activity on the island, CIVISA raised the alert level of the Santa Barbara volcano to V3 and that of the island’s fissure volcanic system to V1.
According to the Richter scale, earthquakes are classified according to their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0—2.9), small (3.0—3.9), slight (4.0—4.9), moderate (5.0—5.9), strong (6.0—6.9), large (7.0—7.9), important (8.0—8.9), exceptional (9.0—9.9) and extreme (when greater than 10).
The Modified Mercalli scale measures “degrees of intensity and respective description.”
With an intensity III, considered weak, the shock “is felt inside the house” and “hanging objects swing”, feeling a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, reveals the IPMA on its website.
Source: Observadora
