All earthquakes
1.7
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

24 km East of Drenchia

57 months ago · 1 Jan, 22:45

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

Stronger than 78% of Italian events in the past year

Where

24 km East of DrenchiaEarthquakes in the province of UdineEarthquakes in Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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

5 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

5.4kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×89 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 ≈ 41 s

Animation sped up ~8× compared to reality.

  • Udine
    55 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Trieste
    61 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~18 s
  • Pordenone
    103 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~17 s
    main shaking in ~30 s
  • Treviso
    144 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~24 s
    main shaking in ~41 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 (~9 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?

Mainshock

It is the strongest quake of its sequence: so far it has been followed by one aftershock within 30 km. Aftershocks tend to fade in number and strength over time.

Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
0
last 7 days
0
last 30 days
3 before1 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.6

How often does it happen here?

about every ~32 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 135 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.

13486.6
Alpi Giulie earthquake
25 January 1348 · 47 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18956.0
Ljubljana earthquake
14 April 1895 · 44 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19985.6
Slovenia nord-occidentale earthquake
12 April 1998 · 30 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
14035.6
Cividale del Friuli earthquake
6 September 1403 · 41 km from here
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

Bovec-Tolminka Springs

The epicentre lies about 3 km from Bovec-Tolminka Springs, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 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

1.6
17 km North-East of Drenchia
18 km North-West · 9 km
57 months ago
31 Dec, 10:10
1.1
12 km South-East of Stregna
22 km South-West · 8 km
57 months ago
17 Dec, 13:58
1.1
9 km South-East of Stregna
24 km West · 4 km
56 months ago
18 Jan, 14:00
1.2
14 km North-East of Drenchia
23 km North-West · 10 km
58 months ago
3 Dec, 01:50

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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