According to the institute, the quake was registered at 3.36am at the stations of the Azores seismic network.


The epicentre was about 40km west-northwest of the village of Capelo in Horta district on Faial.


The maximum intensity felt was III/IV on modified the Mercalli scale, in Horta district, IPMA said.


Earthquakes are a fairly regular occurrence in the archipelago, which is located above major geological features such as the Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault, which marks the boundary between the African and Eurasian continental plates.