6 km NW Escalaplano (CA)
A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.
Where
6 km NW Escalaplano (CA)Earthquakes in the province of CagliariEarthquakes in SardegnaEpicentre at sea
The epicentre is at sea: for the same magnitude, the shaking is felt less on land, because the energy fades along the way before reaching the coast.
How far away could it be felt?
A quake this small is usually not felt by people: only seismographs record it.
Statistical estimate from the Italian intensity attenuation model (INGV): actual perception depends on geology, buildings and depth. Very shallow events can be felt locally even below the threshold.
Earthquake map
5 eventsThe energy released
How much energy this quake unleashed, translated into everyday comparisons.
Each extra magnitude unit releases about 32 times more energy: an M5 is not "a bit stronger" than an M4 — it is a different league.
Energy estimated with the standard Gutenberg–Richter relation; an average lightning bolt ≈ 1 billion joules. Indicative values.
The race of the seismic waves
Two waves set off from the hypocentre: the faster P wave arrives first with a sharp jolt; the S wave carries the actual shaking.
Animation sped up ~8× compared to reality.
- Quartu Sant'Elena51 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~8 smain shaking in ~15 s
- Cagliari54 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~9 smain shaking in ~15 s
- Olbia140 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~23 smain shaking in ~40 s
- Sassari144 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~24 smain shaking in ~41 s
Theoretical times with average crustal speeds: real values vary with geology. The gap between P and S waves is what earthquake early-warning systems rely on.
How deep it was born
At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.
in line with the area average (~2 km)
For the same magnitude, a shallow earthquake is felt much more than a deep one: the energy starts closer to the surface.
What kind of quake is this?
It is an aftershock: it follows a stronger quake (M1.7, 38 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.
How often does it happen here?
It is the first magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake recorded within 50 km since 2014, the start of our archive.
An average computed on the recent past: it tells how used this area is to shaking, not when the next quake will come — earthquakes cannot be predicted.
The closest seismic structure
The epicentre lies about 140 km from Northern Africa offshore - East, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
Faults are mapped to build better and understand the territory: knowing them says nothing about when an earthquake will occur, which remains unpredictable. Source: DISS 3.3 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
Other quakes in the area
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)
Estimates computed by Meteare on INGV data (Gutenberg–Richter relation; Italian macroseismic intensity attenuation model).