On Tuesday 5 June 2012, slightly after 7.45 am local time (which is GMT), an Earthquake struck in the Azores, roughly 140 km southeast of Santa Cruz das Flores and 171 km west of Horta. This was recorded by the United States Geological Survey as measuring 4.9 on the Richter Scale and occurring at a depth of 10 km. There are not reports of any injuries or damage, and a quake of this size so far from land may not have been felt by anyone.
Map showing the location of the 5 June 2012 quake. USGS.
The Azores lie on the junction of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (a divergent margin) and the boundary between the Eurasian and African Plates (a convergent margin), where they occupy their own microplate (the Azores Microplate). The islands are volcanic in nature, with volcanoes fed both by the upwelling of magma under the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and by material from the subducting African Plate, which is melted as it sinks into the Earth, both by the heat of the planets interior and by the friction of the converging plates.
The plate margins around the Azores. GESPEA (Working Group on
See also Earthquake off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland, Earthquake on the Isle of Islay, Modena Plane hit by second major Earthquake, Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake north of Norway and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.
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