All earthquakes
1.3
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

6 km North-East of Calvi dell'Umbria

12 months ago · 13 Sept, 04:48

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

Stronger than 55% of Italian events in the past year

Where

6 km North-East of Calvi dell'UmbriaEarthquakes in the province of TerniEarthquakes in Umbria

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

13 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

1.3kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×355 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 ≈ 17 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Terni
    16 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~3 s
    main shaking in ~5 s
  • Viterbo
    40 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~7 s
    main shaking in ~12 s
  • Guidonia Montecelio
    54 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Tivoli
    57 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~17 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

10 km
medium depth
1.2 times the height of Mount Everest

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

in line with the area average (~10 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 (M1.7, 12 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

1.7
The mainshock
3 km North of Cottanello
12 months ago · 17 Aug, 10:40
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
4
last 7 days
27
last 30 days
8 before4 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.7

How often does it happen here?

about every ~7 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 589 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.

17036.9
Valnerina earthquake
14 January 1703 · 50 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
13496.3
Appennino laziale-abruzzese earthquake
9 September 1349 · 50 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
12986.3
Monti Reatini earthquake
1 December 1298 · 30 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15996.1
Valnerina earthquake
6 November 1599 · 48 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

Mugello-Citta' di Castello-Leonessa

The epicentre lies about 29 km from Mugello-Citta' di Castello-Leonessa, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 and 8 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

1.6
12 months ago
14 Sept, 10:09
1.3
2 km North-East of Greccio
17 km East · 11 km
12 months ago
8 Sept, 19:11
1.3
1 km South-West of Cantalice
28 km East · 11 km
12 months ago
8 Sept, 10:07
1.1
11 months ago
19 Sept, 20:15
1.4
3 km North of Fiano Romano
30 km South · 9 km
11 months ago
21 Sept, 18:01
0.7
2 km East of Polino
30 km East · 14 km
12 months ago
28 Aug, 05:03
0.8
2 km North-East of Polino
30 km North-East · 11 km
12 months ago
28 Aug, 04:54
1.5
4 km North-West of Terni
18 km North · 7 km
12 months ago
22 Aug, 03:37
1.6
3 km North of Cottanello
11 km East · 6 km
12 months ago
19 Aug, 16:45
1.1
7 km West of Cittaducale
27 km East · 8 km
12 months ago
18 Aug, 08:33

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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