Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.7 and 3.5 on the Richter scale were felt today on the islands of Faial and Pico, in the Azores, according to the Azores Seismic Information and Surveillance Center (CIVISA).
According to CIVISA, the first tremor, with a magnitude of 3.5, was recorded at 00:17 local time (01:17 in Lisbon), with its epicentre around 40 kilometers west of Capelo, on the island of Faial.
The earthquake “was felt with a maximum intensity of III (Modified Mercalli scale) in the parish of Angústias (municipality of Horta)”.
The second event, of magnitude 3.7, felt on the islands of Faial and Pico, happened at 01:18 local time (02:18 in Lisbon) and had its epicentre around 41 kilometers west of Capelo.
“According to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with a maximum intensity of III on the island of Faial (Modified Mercalli scale),” said CIVISA.
The source added in the statement that the event “was also felt with intensity II/III in the west of the island of Pico”.
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, feeling a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, reveals the Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on its website.
