The island of Sao Jorge, in the mid-Atlantic Azores, has been hit by more than 20,000 small earthquakes measuring up to 3.3 on the Richter scale in the last 11 days. The tremors could be the prelude to a powerful earthquake or volcanic eruption, the first since 1808, according to scientists at the CIVISA Earthquake Observatory. The elderly and people with reduced mobility have been evacuated from Vela, the western part of the island where most of the seismic activity has been recorded. Image: Satellite map shows seismic activity on Sao Jorge Island after earthquakes Hundreds of others have fled the island in fear. About 8,400 people live on the island. “The magnitude of the quake has dropped slightly … but the population needs to be vigilant, they do not need to relax,” said Eduardo Farias, head of the Azores Civil Protection Authority. Classes at a school in Vela have been suspended and some of the classrooms will be turned into a health center. Francisco Fonseca, president of the Sao Jorge Health Service, said health workers with experience in natural disasters had been sent to the island. Image: Hundreds of islanders rushed to leave the island before the disaster struck “This whole situation is a challenge,” he said. “It’s painful and unusual.” The sudden increase in seismic activity in Sao Jorge is similar to the earthquakes that were detected before the eruption of Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma, Spain last year. Experts at the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, which monitored the La Palma eruption, said about 20 million cubic meters of lava could be ejected into Sao Jorge if an eruption occurred. Image: Cumbre Vieja erupted last year in La Palma, Spain Luca D’Auria, director of Involcan’s volcanic surveillance department, said soil deformation caused by volcanic activity on the island had been identified.
