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Strong and shallow M 5.9 earthquake struck Azores Islands, Portugal

strong-and-shallow-m-5-9-earthquake-struck-azores-islands-portugal

A strong and shallow earthquake magnitude M 5.9 struck Azores Islands, Portugal on April 30, 2013 at 06:25 UTC.  Epicenter was located in between Sao Miguel and Santa Maria islands; 29 km (18 miles) ESE of Furnas, Portugal and 58 km (36 miles) E of Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos – CIVISA is also reporting a M 5.9 earthquake. Depth is still uncertain. EMSC is reporting epicenter at depth of 2 km, USGS (set by location program) still reports depth of 10 km.

There are 130 000 people within 100 km.

The area is experiencing increased seismic activity (as shown on the map below). Numerous aftershocks were reported after M 5.9 today.  Azores are considered as seismically very active region.  However, these kinds of earthquakes, so close to islands, are not happening very often. Check ER for list of latest updates.

List of latest earthquakes – Azores Islands, Portugal. Credits: Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos. Google 2013 – Image: NASA, Terrametrics 2013.

List of latest earthquakes – Azores Islands, Portugal. Credits: Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos. Google 2013 – Image: NASA, Terrametrics 2013.

 

Magnitude 5.9

Date-Time

  • Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 06:25:23 UTC
  • Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 06:25:23 AM at epicenter
Location 37.655°N, 25.007°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region AZORES ISLANDS, PORTUGAL
Distances 29 km (18 miles) ESE of Furnas, Portugal
58 km (36 miles) E of Ponta Delgada, Portugal
222 km (137 miles) ESE of Angra do Heroismo, Portugal
920 km (571 miles) NW of Camara de Lobos, Portugal
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 7.5 km (4.7 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=110, Nph=110, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=0.9 sec, Gp= 43°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=2
Source
  • USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2013pqaf

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green

Featured image: Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos. Google 2013 – Image: NASA, TerraMetrics 2013.

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