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EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

1 km North-West of Cremosano

89 months ago · 26 Apr, 01:11

A light earthquake, rarely felt by people. Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.

Stronger than 93% of Italian events in the past year

Where

1 km North-West of CremosanoEarthquakes in the province of CremonaEarthquakes in Lombardia

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

1 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

43kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×11 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 ≈ 15 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Bergamo
    33 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Sesto San Giovanni
    34 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Monza
    36 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Cinisello Balsamo
    38 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~15 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

36 km
deep
4 times the height of Mount Everest

Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.

deeper than the area average (~20 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?

Isolated quake

In the 30 days around this event no other quakes were recorded within 30 km: a one-off episode, very common in Italy.

Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
0
last 7 days
0
last 30 days

No other quakes within 30 km in the 30 days around the event.

How often does it happen here?

about every ~2 months

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 59 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.

18025.6
Valle dell'Oglio earthquake
12 May 1802 · 16 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
13965.3
Monza earthquake
26 November 1396 · 36 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
17865.2
Pianura lombarda earthquake
7 April 1786 · 16 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19515.2
Lodigiano earthquake
15 May 1951 · 19 km from here
VI-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

Western S-Alps external thrust shallow-west

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.2between 2 and 6 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).

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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