All earthquakes
1.9
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

7 km North-West of Ferentillo

138 months ago · 1 Feb, 10:57

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

Stronger than 85% of Italian events in the past year

Where

7 km North-West of FerentilloEarthquakes in the province of TerniEarthquakes in Umbria

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

61 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

11kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×45 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 ≈ 18 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Terni
    12 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~4 s
    main shaking in ~6 s
  • Foligno
    36 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~7 s
    main shaking in ~11 s
  • Perugia
    60 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~18 s
  • Viterbo
    62 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~11 s
    main shaking in ~18 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

17 km
medium depth
1.9 times the height of Mount Everest

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

deeper than the area average (~10 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 (M2.3, 139 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

2.3
The mainshock
7 km North-East of Spoleto
139 months ago · 15 Jan, 11:24
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
3
last 24 hours
12
last 7 days
71
last 30 days
71 before74 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence2.3

How often does it happen here?

about every ~1 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 14441 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.

17036.9
Valnerina earthquake
14 January 1703 · 27 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
20166.6
Valnerina earthquake
30 October 2016 · 35 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
13286.5
Valnerina earthquake
1 December 1328 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18326.4
Valle Umbra earthquake
13 January 1832 · 37 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Mugello-Citta' di Castello-Leonessa

The epicentre lies about 4 km from Mugello-Citta' di Castello-Leonessa, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 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).

Other quakes in the area

2.0
5 km North-West of Montefranco
3 km South-West · 21 km
138 months ago
1 Feb, 11:17
1.7
1 km North-West of Massa Martana
23 km North-West · 7 km
138 months ago
1 Feb, 04:16
1.7
6 km South of Cascia
24 km East · 11 km
138 months ago
31 Jan, 19:06
1.4
3 km North-East of Massa Martana
22 km North-West · 7 km
138 months ago
31 Jan, 14:32
1.5
9 km West of Norcia
26 km East · 14 km
138 months ago
2 Feb, 16:21
1.7
3 km North-East of Massa Martana
22 km North-West · 7 km
138 months ago
31 Jan, 03:24
1.8
4 km North-East of Massa Martana
23 km North-West · 8 km
138 months ago
30 Jan, 21:03
2.0
3 km North of Massa Martana
23 km North-West · 7 km
138 months ago
30 Jan, 20:55
1.3
4 km South-East of Castel Ritaldi
16 km North-West · 17 km
139 months ago
30 Jan, 02:56
2.0
3 km North of Massa Martana
23 km North-West · 7 km
139 months ago
29 Jan, 23:59

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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