2.4 quake felt in São Jorge

Volcanic alert level remains at 4/7

The Azores Seismovolcanic Information and Surveillance Center (CIVISA) recorded yesterday, at 07:51 local time (08:51 in Lisbon, on the island of São Jorge, an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.4 on the Richter scale.

According to CIVISA, the epicentre of the quake was about one kilometre from Beira, on the island of São Jorge.

CIVISA informs that, according to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity III/IV on the Modified Mercalli scale in the parish of Urzelina, in the municipality of Velas.

The island of São Jorge has been experiencing a seismovolcanic crisis since March 19, with the biggest earthquake (3.8 on the Richter scale) being recorded on the 29th of the same month.

The island maintains volcanic alert level V4 (eruption threat) out of a total of seven, where V0 stands for “resting state” and V6 “eruption in progress”.

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 the “degrees of intensity and respective description” and, when there is an intensity III, considered weak, the shaking is “felt indoors” and “the hanging objects sway”, feeling a “similar vibration”. to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, as mentioned on the website of the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).