According to information provided by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere, an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was registered at 11:55 am, today, Friday 6th April.
The epicenter of the sizeable quake was located 45 km west-northwest of Cape S.Vicente, pretty much bang on the Galp-ENI drilling site where work soon is to proceed in the consortium's quest for oil and gas deposits.
Anti-oil campaigners long have warned of the delicate geology in many of the oil and gas concession areas that surround Portugal’s coastline, fearing that drilling may trigger earthquakes.
There is a link between onshore fracking, a technique also available to concession holders, and earthquakes. Whether the government will admit that a rise in earthquake activity is down to oil company drilling activity, remains to be seen as the drilling has yet to start.
Today’s earthquake was registered as being 24 kilometres below the seabed and a close watch is being kept by campaigners for a rise in earthquake activity when Galp-ENI starts its long-awaited test drilling – which it will, unless legal moves to stop its progress prove successful.
