All earthquakes
1.4
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

3 km South-West of Buonvicino

102 months ago · 21 Apr, 06:08

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

Stronger than 63% of Italian events in the past year

Where

3 km South-West of BuonvicinoEarthquakes in the province of CosenzaEarthquakes in Calabria

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

6 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

1.9kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×251 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 ≈ 31 s

Animation sped up ~6× compared to reality.

  • Corigliano-Rossano
    48 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Cosenza
    55 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~17 s
  • Lamezia Terme
    86 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~15 s
    main shaking in ~26 s
  • Catanzaro
    106 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~18 s
    main shaking in ~31 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

27 km
medium depth
3 times the height of Mount Everest

At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

shallower than the area average (~33 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 (M3.3, 102 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

3.3
The mainshock
22 km South-West of Belvedere Marittimo
102 months ago · 18 Apr, 21:58
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
1
last 7 days
5
last 30 days
4 before1 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence3.3

How often does it happen here?

about every ~9 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 464 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.

11846.8
Valle del Crati earthquake
24 May 1184 · 40 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
17675.9
Valle del Crati earthquake
14 July 1767 · 47 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19135.6
Calabria settentrionale earthquake
28 June 1913 · 34 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18865.6
Cosentino earthquake
6 March 1886 · 45 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

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

The closest seismic structure

Rimendiello-Mormanno

The epicentre lies about 24 km from Rimendiello-Mormanno, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.6between 1 and 12 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

1.5
3 km North of Grisolia
10 km North · 24 km
102 months ago
20 Apr, 09:34
2.1
102 months ago
20 Apr, 04:31
2.0
3 km North-West of Grisolia
9 km North · 29 km
102 months ago
20 Apr, 00:21
3.3
22 km South-West of Belvedere Marittimo
23 km South-West · 267 km
102 months ago
18 Apr, 21:58
2.0
101 months ago
20 May, 02:30

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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