Experts warn quake-hit Azores island could see volcanic eruption like Spain’s La Palma

SAO JORGE, Portugal, March 29 (Reuters) – Consultants warned on Tuesday that the earthquake-hit volcanic island of Sao Jorge, in Portugal’s Azores archipelago, may see an eruption like that of Spain’s La Palma, which destroyed 1000’s of properties and crops over 85 days.

The luxurious mid-Atlantic island has been rattled by greater than 20,000 small earthquakes, which reached a magnitude of as much as 3.3, previously 11 days.

The tremors may herald a volcanic eruption for the primary time since 1808, or a robust earthquake, mentioned the area’s CIVISA seismo-volcanic surveillance centre. learn extra

Aged individuals and people with diminished mobility have been evacuated from Velas, the municipality the place a lot of the seismic exercise has been recorded, and plenty of locals have left the island in concern. learn extra

“The magnitude of the earthquakes has diminished barely… however the inhabitants should keep alert, they need to not chill out,” mentioned Eduardo Farias, head of Azores’ Civil Safety authority.

At a faculty in Velas, lessons have been suspended and a number of the college’s rooms might be became a well being heart.

Francisco Fonseca, president of Sao Jorge’s well being service, mentioned well being employees with expertise working in pure disasters have been deployed to the island.

“This complete state of affairs is a problem,” he mentioned. “It’s distressing and out of the peculiar.”

Sao Jorge’s sudden improve in seismic exercise is harking back to the earthquakes detected earlier than the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain’s La Palma island final 12 months, some 1,400 km (870 miles) southeast of the Azores. learn extra

Consultants on the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, Involcan, which monitored the La Palma eruption, mentioned on Tuesday about 20 million cubic meters of lava may very well be spewed out on Sao Jorge if an eruption takes place.

Luca D’Auria, director of Involcan’s volcanic surveillance division, instructed Reuters a soil deformation brought on by the volcanic exercise had been detected in Sao Jorge.

“It may both finish in nothing (…) or it may finish in a volcanic eruption,” he mentioned.

Farias mentioned CIVISA would analyse Involcan information however requested Sao Jorge’s about 8,400 residents to not panic.

Reporting by Catarina Demony, Guillermo Martinez and Pedro Nunes in Sao Jorge and Emma Pinedo Gonzalez in Madrid; Modifying by Alexandra Hudson

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.