All earthquakes
1.4
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

5 km South of Claviere

85 months ago · 8 Sept, 18:10

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 63% of Italian events in the past year

Where

5 km South of ClaviereEarthquakes in the province of TorinoEarthquakes in Piemonte

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.

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 ≈ 33 s

Animation sped up ~6× compared to reality.

  • Moncalieri
    75 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~13 s
    main shaking in ~22 s
  • Torino
    78 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~13 s
    main shaking in ~23 s
  • Cuneo
    82 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~14 s
    main shaking in ~24 s
  • Asti
    114 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~19 s
    main shaking in ~33 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
shallow
1.1 times the height of Mount Everest

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

in line with the area average (~11 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, 86 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

1.9
The mainshock
16 km South-West of Bardonecchia
86 months ago · 14 Aug, 09:45
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
0
last 7 days
8
last 30 days
5 before6 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.9

How often does it happen here?

about every ~21 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 203 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.

18085.6
Val Pellice earthquake
2 April 1808 · 39 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19595.4
Ubaye earthquake
5 April 1959 · 41 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18085.3
Val Pellice earthquake
16 April 1808 · 44 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
19355.3
Embrunais earthquake
19 March 1935 · 28 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

Brianconnais

The epicentre lies about 6 km from Brianconnais, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.2between 5 and 20 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
22 km South of Claviere
17 km South · 9 km
85 months ago
10 Sept, 19:29
0.8
3 km North-West of Cesana Torinese
9 km North-East · 10 km
85 months ago
31 Aug, 00:02
1.1
85 months ago
18 Sept, 19:20
1.8
18 km South-West of Claviere
14 km South-West · 11 km
84 months ago
23 Sept, 01:27
1.1
15 km South of Claviere
10 km South · 11 km
85 months ago
23 Aug, 01:08
0.8
20 km West of Pontechianale
22 km South · 16 km
86 months ago
16 Aug, 18:49
1.4
14 km West of Bellino
29 km South · 7 km
84 months ago
3 Oct, 08:52
1.9
16 km South-West of Bardonecchia
21 km North-West · 9 km
86 months ago
14 Aug, 09:45
1.9
17 km West of Bardonecchia
25 km North-West · 9 km
84 months ago
4 Oct, 22:34
0.9
84 months ago
6 Oct, 16:06

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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