An earthquake measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale was felt this afternoon on Terceira island in the Azores, the Azores Seismic Information and Surveillance Center (CIVISA) said.
According to CIVISA, the quake occurred at 14:50 local time (15:50 in Lisbon) and had its epicentre about five kilometers south of Altares, on the island of Terceira.
“According to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity IV (Modified Mercalli Scale) in the parishes of Biscoitos (municipality of Praia da Vitória), Altares, Santa Bárbara, Cinco Ribeiras, Terra Chã and São Pedro (municipality of Angra do Heroísmo),” said CIVISA.
The quake “was also felt with intensity III in the parishes of Quatro Ribeiras (municipality of Praia da Vitória) and Ribeirinha (municipality of Angra do Heroísmo)”, adds CIVISA on its official website.
This event, according to CIVISA, “is part of the seismic crisis that has been underway 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 to be weak, the tremor was felt inside the house and hanging objects rattled, with a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, the IPMA reveals on its website.
When there is an IV intensity, considered moderate, parked cars sway, windows, doors and crockery shake and “glass and crockery rattle or clink”, and walls or wooden structures may creak.
