More than 1,000 small earthquakes hit Portuguese volcanic island

Lisbon, March 22 (BNA): About 1,100 small earthquakes hit one of the volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic in less than 48 hours, prompting authorities to activate an emergency plan as experts assess what they described as a “seismic crisis”.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 1.9 to 3.3 have been recorded on the island of São Jorge since Saturday noon, Roy Marques, head of the CIVISA Volcanic Seismic Monitoring Center in the Azores archipelago, told Reuters on Monday.

He said most earthquakes, which have not yet caused any damage, have been reported along the volcanic fissure of the island of Manadas, which last erupted in 1808.

São Jorge, one of the nine islands that make up the Azores, is home to about 8,400 people and is part of the archipelago’s central group, which includes the popular tourist destinations of Faial and Pico, which are also volcanic.

Describing it as a precaution, Luis Silvera, mayor of Vilas municipality, where many residents of São Jorge live, signed a document on Monday to activate the earthquake emergency plan.

The sudden increase in seismic activity is reminiscent of the swarms of earthquakes detected before the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted last year on the Spanish island of La Palma, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of the Azores.

Over the course of 85 days, this eruption destroyed thousands of properties and crops.

However, CIVISA has not yet determined what the series of tremors may indicate.

“It is still not possible to know the behavior pattern of this seismic crisis,” Marquez told Lusa news agency.

CIVISA has sent teams back to Earth to set up two additional seismic stations on the island and to measure soil gases, an indicator of volcanic activity.

The regional civil protection authority said in a statement on Sunday that it had already contacted mayors and firefighting units asking them to “remain vigilant” and to assist the residents of São Jorge if necessary.

He urged people to remain calm, stay informed and follow the recommendations of officials. Marques-Losa said only 63 of the 1,100 earthquakes recorded so far have been felt by residents.

“We should be a little concerned,” Marquez told Antena 1 radio station. We should not raise the alarm, but we will pay attention to the development of the situation.”

MI