All earthquakes
1.7
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

1 km East of Dusino San Michele

137 months ago · 2 Jun, 08:12

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.

Stronger than 78% of Italian events in the past year

Where

1 km East of Dusino San MicheleEarthquakes in the province of AstiEarthquakes 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

1 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 ≈ 19 s

Animation sped up ~4× compared to reality.

  • Asti
    16 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Moncalieri
    24 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~15 s
  • Torino
    30 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~15 s
  • Alessandria
    49 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~11 s
    main shaking in ~19 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

45 km
deep
5.1 times the height of Mount Everest

Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.

deeper than the area average (~25 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 ~5 months

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 30 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.

20004.9
Monferrato earthquake
21 August 2000 · 30 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
13694.9
Alessandria earthquake
1 February 1369 · 48 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19144.7
Torinese earthquake
27 October 1914 · 43 km from here
VRather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
19904.7
Torinese earthquake
11 February 1990 · 35 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Western Piemonte

The epicentre lies about 21 km from Western Piemonte, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 1 and 8 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).

We use cookies to analyse site traffic and improve your experience.

Privacy PolicyCookie Policy