Today, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake was detected in the municipalities of Angra de Herosmo and Praia da Vitória on the island of Terceira, as reported by the Seismovulcanic Surveillance and Information Center of the Azores (CIVISA).
With an epicenter about two kilometers east of Serreta, the quake was recorded at 07:17 (08:17 in Lisbon) and felt with maximum intensity V (Modified Mercalli scale) in the parishes of Altares, Raminho, Serreta, Doze Ribeiras, Santa Barbara, São Bartolomeu, São Mateus, Terra Chã and São Sebastião (municipality of Angra do Heroísmo) and the parish of Biscoitos (municipality of Praia da Vitória).
The quake was also felt with intensity IV in the parishes of Santa Luzia, So Pedro, Conceico, and Ribeirinha (municipality of Angra do Herosmo); with intensity IV in the parish of Quatro Ribeiras (municipality of Praia da Vitória); and with intensity III in the parish of Vila das Lajes (municipality of Praia da Vitória).
According to the Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere’s (IPMA) website, “strong” intensity V earthquakes are felt outside the house, people are awakened, liquids oscillate and some spill, small objects in unstable equilibrium move or are knocked over, doors oscillate, close or open, while blinds and paintings move and clock pendulums stop or change their state of oscillation.
When IR intensity is “moderate,” “parked cars rattle,” “windows, doors, and dishes shake,” “glass and dishes rattle or clink,” and “walls or wooden structures may creak.”
With intensity III, which is considered “weak,” the tremor is “felt inside the house” and “hanging objects shake,” experiencing “vibrations similar to those caused by the passage of heavy vehicles,” per IPMA.
