All earthquakes
1.6
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

21 km South-West of Claviere

9 days ago · 16 Aug, 14:13

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

Stronger than 74% of Italian events in the past year

Where

21 km South-West 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

10 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

3.8kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×126 its energy
M1this quakeM3

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 ≈ 35 s

Animation sped up ~7× compared to reality.

  • Cuneo
    80 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~13 s
    main shaking in ~23 s
  • Moncalieri
    85 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~14 s
    main shaking in ~25 s
  • Torino
    91 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~15 s
    main shaking in ~26 s
  • Asti
    123 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~21 s
    main shaking in ~35 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
1.1 times the height of Mount Everest

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

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 (M2.7, 17 days ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

2.7
The mainshock
14 km North-West of Bellino
17 days ago · 8 Aug, 12:42
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
1
last 7 days
10
last 30 days
8 before1 after
nowthis quake
Strongest of the sequence2.7

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: 200 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 · 47 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19595.4
Ubaye earthquake
5 April 1959 · 28 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19355.3
Embrunais earthquake
19 March 1935 · 12 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18845.2
Alpi Cozie earthquake
27 November 1884 · 20 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Brianconnais

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

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

1.1
9 days ago
16 Aug, 11:27
0.8
13 km West of Bellino
22 km South-East · 14 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 07:22
1.9
15 km North-West of Bellino
17 km South-East · 9 km
16 days ago
8 Aug, 21:52
1.2
15 km North-West of Bellino
17 km South-East · 8 km
16 days ago
8 Aug, 21:43
1.6
15 km North-West of Bellino
18 km South-East · 7 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 16:55
2.7
14 km North-West of Bellino
18 km South-East · 9 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 12:42
0.9
8 km West of Claviere
23 km North · 11 km
18 days ago
7 Aug, 13:08
1.3
29 days ago
26 Jul, 23:42
1.3
29 days ago
26 Jul, 23:42

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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