According to the Center for Seismovolcanic Information and Surveillance of the Azores (CIVISA), the epicenter was recorded about four kilometers northwest of Santa Bárbara, on Terceira Island.
The earthquake was felt with a maximum intensity of IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale in Santa Bárbara, Cinco Ribeiras, and São Bartolomeu, localities in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, CIVISA reports in a statement.
The event was also felt with intensity III in São Mateus and Terra Chã, also in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
According to CIVISA, the event is part of the ongoing seismovolcanic crisis on Terceira Island since June 2022.
Earlier this morning, another earthquake with a magnitude of 2.5 on the Richter scale was felt on Terceira Island, also as part of the ongoing seismovolcanic crisis.
According to CIVISA, the tremor was recorded at 07:09 local time (08:09 in Lisbon) and had its epicenter about four kilometers east of Serreta.
According to the Richter scale, earthquakes are classified by their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), light (4.0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), major (7.0-7.9), great (8.0-8.9), exceptional (9.0-9.9) and extreme (when greater than 10).
The Modified Mercalli Scale measures the “degrees of intensity and respective description.”
With an intensity of IV, considered moderate, “suspended objects swing, the vibration is similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles or the sensation of a heavy ball hitting the walls, parked cars sway, windows, doors, and dishes shake, glasses and dishes collide or tinkle, and at the upper end of this degree, walls and wooden structures creak,” reveals the IPMA on its website.
With an intensity of III, considered weak, the tremor is felt indoors and hanging objects swing, with a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles.”
