The 1998 Faial earthquake
M 6.2 Mw
Before dawn on 9 July 1998 an earthquake struck a few kilometres off the north-east coast of Faial.
At least eight people died, more than a hundred were injured and well over a thousand lost their homes. The parishes of north-eastern Faial, among them Ribeirinha, Pedro Miguel and Salão, were hit hardest, with damage on Pico and São Jorge as well. Faial study in Geophysical Research Letters.
Many of the traditional stone houses did not survive, and rebuilding took years. The aftershocks went on for weeks: open the map to see them gather off the island’s coast.
Azores Islands
Azores · 14.0 km deep · 38.58°, -28.45°
Magnitude by USGS
Source: ISC · EMSC · USGS
Nearby earthquakes
281 other earthquakes within 50 km in the week before and after. The 8 largest are listed.
- M 4.4 · 9 July 1998 · 05:31 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.4 · 9 July 1998 · 06:01 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.4 · 9 July 1998 · 08:12 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.3 · 9 July 1998 · 06:35 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.3 · 9 July 1998 · 07:47 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.3 · 13 July 1998 · 21:25 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.2 · 9 July 1998 · 10:21 UTCAzores Islands
- M 4.2 · 12 July 1998 · 17:18 UTCAzores Islands