A series of earthquakes, 10 kilometres north-west of Alcoutim, woke households early on Monday morning, December 12th.
The earthquake peaked at 3.6 on the Richter scale. This level can be felt by people but is unlikely to cause much damage apart from the shaking of indoor objects and causing animals some disquiet.
With epicenter near Alcoutim the earthquakes occurred between 5:24 and 6:28, in total of 6 shakes with a magnitude that started at 2.0, and peaked at 3.6 on the Richter scale.
The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere, commented, "This earthquake, according to the information available so far, did not cause personal or material damage and was felt with maximum intensity III on the modified Mercalli scale in the Mértola region."
In its statement, the Institute indicated that the earthquake was registered on the continent's Seismic Network stations.
