An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.1 on the Richter scale was felt today on Terceira Island, announced the Azores Seismic Information and Surveillance Center (CIVISA).
According to CIVISA, the quake was recorded at 08:08 local time (09:08 in Lisbon) and had its epicenter about five kilometers south-southwest of Altares, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
“According to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with a maximum intensity of III/IV (Modified Mercalli scale) in the parish of Biscoitos (municipality of Praia da Vitória),” CIVISA said in a statement.
The event “is part of the ongoing seismic crisis on Terceira Island since June 2022”.
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 their description”.
With an intensity of III, considered weak, the tremor is felt inside the house and pending objects sway, with a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, reveals the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) on its website.
When there is an intensity IV, considered moderate, parked cars sway, windows, doors and crockery shake and “glass and crockery rattle or clink”, and walls or wooden structures may creak.
