An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 on the Richter scale was felt today on the island of Faial, in the Azores, said the Seismic Information and Surveillance Center of the Azores (CIVISA).
According to CIVISA, the earthquake was recorded at 18:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) and had an epicenter about 41 kilometers west of Capelo, on the island of Faial.
“According to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity III/IV (Modified Mercalli scale) in the parishes of Capelo, Castelo Branco, Feteira and Angústias (municipality of Horta, Faial island),” the source said in a statement.
The event was also felt with intensity III in the parish of Ribeirinha, he added.
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”.
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, reveals the Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on its website.
With an intensity of III, considered weak, the tremor is “felt inside the house” and “the pending objects swing”, feeling a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, describes the IPMA.
