Portuguese island suffered 1,100 earthquakes in 48 hours

According to The Guardian (UK), on March 21, Rui Marques – Director of the Civisa Volcano Monitoring Center in the Azores Islands – said many earthquakes with magnitudes from 1.9 to 3.3 had occurred. out on the island of São Jorge from the afternoon of March 19. So far, the earthquakes have not caused any loss of life or property.

Officials said the earthquakes occurred along the Manadas volcanic fissure on the island. This volcano last erupted in 1808. Faced with potential dangers, Mr. Luis Silveira, Mayor of Velas, activated an emergency plan when experts assessed thousands of these small earthquakes as a seismic crisis.

Sāo Jorge, one of nine islands in the Azores archipelago, is home to about 8,400 people. It is a central part of the archipelago, which includes popular tourist attractions such as Faial and Pico.

This unusual seismic activity is reminiscent of earthquakes that occurred before the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma erupted last year. The area is about 1,400 km southeast of the Azores. In 85 days, the eruption destroyed thousands of properties and crops.

“It’s still not possible to know the pattern of this earthquake,” Marques told the Lusa news agency. However, Civisa has set up two more seismic monitoring stations on the island and measures gas in the soil, an indicator of volcanic activity.

The Civil Protection Authority of Sāo Jorge Island has also contacted local mayors and fire units, asking to remain vigilant and assist people in case of need. At the same time, officials also urged people to stay calm, update information and implement recommendations of authorities.