M4.4 earthquake outside Italy
A moderate earthquake, felt by people in the area. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.
Where
Nearest Italian town: Formazza (VB)Earthquakes in the province of Verbano-Cusio-OssolaEarthquakes in PiemonteEpicentre abroad
The epicentre lies outside Italy's borders. The quake appears here because the INGV seismic network also records events close to Italy, which can be felt on Italian territory.
How far away could it be felt?
An estimate of how far people may have felt this quake.
- up to ~10 km · clearly felt by almost everyone
- up to ~31 km · felt by many people, especially on upper floors
- up to ~68 km · felt only by some, at rest
The coloured rings on the map below show these distances.
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
2 eventsThe energy released
How much energy this quake unleashed, translated into everyday comparisons.
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.
How deep it was born
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?
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.
How often does it happen here?
Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 4 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 2 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 closest seismic structure
The epicentre lies about 150 km from Western Valais, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
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).