All earthquakes
0.7
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

3 km East of Bordano

45 months ago · 20 Dec, 14:41

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.

Stronger than 11% of Italian events in the past year

Where

3 km East of BordanoEarthquakes in the province of UdineEarthquakes in Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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

12 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

How much energy this quake unleashed, translated into everyday comparisons.

0.2kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×2,818 its energy
M0this quakeM2

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.

P waves — the first sharp jolt (~6 km/s)S waves — the strongest shaking (~3.5 km/s)
t ≈ 29 s

Animation sped up ~5× compared to reality.

  • Udine
    31 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~5 s
    main shaking in ~9 s
  • Pordenone
    57 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Trieste
    91 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~15 s
    main shaking in ~26 s
  • Treviso
    102 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~17 s
    main shaking in ~29 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

4 km
shallow

At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.

in line with the area average (~9 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?

Aftershock

It is an aftershock: it follows a stronger quake (M1.9, 45 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

1.9
The mainshock
7 km East of Resia
45 months ago · 10 Dec, 08:17
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
3
last 7 days
11
last 30 days
7 before4 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.9

How often does it happen here?

about every ~16 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 262 events in the last 12 years of the INGV catalogue.

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 great earthquakes in this area's history

Almost a thousand years of catalogues: the strongest documented events within ~50 km.

13486.6
Alpi Giulie earthquake
25 January 1348 · 39 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
19766.5
Friuli earthquake
6 May 1976 · 10 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15116.3
Friuli-Slovenia earthquake
26 March 1511 · 14 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19286.0
Carnia earthquake
27 March 1928 · 14 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Tramonti-Montemaggiore

The epicentre sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.2between 1 and 6 km deep

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

0.5
2 km South-West of Venzone
2 km North-East · 9 km
45 months ago
27 Dec, 22:13
1.9
7 km East of Resia
23 km East · 11 km
45 months ago
10 Dec, 08:17
0.8
45 months ago
9 Dec, 16:33
1.4
2 km South-East of Tolmezzo
12 km North-West · 14 km
44 months ago
2 Jan, 23:05
1.0
3 km North of Artegna
7 km South · 10 km
44 months ago
3 Jan, 04:55
0.3
4 km South-West of Tolmezzo
14 km North-West · 14 km
45 months ago
5 Dec, 04:58
0.6
2 km North of Verzegnis
16 km West · 11 km
45 months ago
2 Dec, 20:57
0.5
1 km East of Venzone
4 km North-East · 11 km
44 months ago
12 Jan, 14:06
1.5
2 km North of Amaro
10 km North-West · 12 km
46 months ago
22 Nov, 18:27
0.9
2 km East of Lauco
19 km North-West · 12 km
46 months ago
22 Nov, 05:22

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).

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