An earthquake measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale was felt this Wednesday at dawn on the island of Terceira in the municipality of Angra do Heroismo, the Center for Seismic Volcanic Information and Observation of the Azores (CIVISA) said.
According to the CIVISA website, the earthquake was recorded at 03:53 local time (04:53 Lisbon) and had an epicenter about one kilometer east of Doze Ribeiras.
An earthquake with a maximum intensity of III on the modified Mercalli scale was felt in the parishes of Serreta and São Bartolomeu in the municipality of Angra do Heroismo.
On the Richter scale, earthquakes are classified by magnitude into micro (less than 2.0), very weak (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), weak (4.0-4.9), medium (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), major (7.0-7.9), important (8.0-8.9), exceptional (9.0- 9.9) and extreme (when more than 10).
The modified Mercalli scale measures the “degrees of intensity and corresponding description” of earthquakes, and when there is an intensity III considered weak, trembling is “felt inside the house” and “hanging objects sway”, feeling “a vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles ”, describes the Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on its website.