All earthquakes
1.3
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

2 km South-East of Castrovillari

134 months ago · 1 Sept, 18:04

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 55% of Italian events in the past year

Where

2 km South-East of CastrovillariEarthquakes 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

14 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 ≈ 29 s

Animation sped up ~5× compared to reality.

  • Corigliano-Rossano
    27 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~5 s
    main shaking in ~8 s
  • Cosenza
    59 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~17 s
  • Lamezia Terme
    95 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~16 s
    main shaking in ~27 s
  • Potenza
    101 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

8 km
shallow

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

shallower than the area average (~19 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 (M1.8, 134 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

1.8
The mainshock
6 km North-West of Morano Calabro
134 months ago · 25 Aug, 05:56
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
4
last 7 days
7
last 30 days
6 before7 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.8

How often does it happen here?

about every ~15 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 287 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 · 46 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
17675.9
Valle del Crati earthquake
14 July 1767 · 49 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19135.6
Calabria settentrionale earthquake
28 June 1913 · 31 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
17085.6
Pollino earthquake
26 January 1708 · 18 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Pollino

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.4between 1 and 10 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

1.7
3 km South-East of Rotonda
18 km North-West · 9 km
134 months ago
1 Sept, 02:23
1.1
5 km West of Morano Calabro
18 km West · 9 km
134 months ago
29 Aug, 01:19
1.8
134 months ago
25 Aug, 05:56
1.2
134 months ago
10 Sept, 23:38
1.3
134 months ago
18 Aug, 11:25
1.5
2 km North-West of Orsomarso
28 km West · 30 km
133 months ago
16 Sept, 18:01
1.8
3 km South-East of Rotonda
19 km North-West · 9 km
133 months ago
21 Sept, 02:04
1.7
5 km North-West of Morano Calabro
18 km North-West · 10 km
133 months ago
22 Sept, 02:02
1.4
133 months ago
22 Sept, 06:04
1.3
5 km South-East of Verbicaro
24 km West · 25 km
133 months ago
29 Sept, 20:19

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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