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3.2
weak
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

France

11 days ago · 13 Aug, 22:40

A weak earthquake, felt by some of the population. At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.

Stronger than 98% of Italian events in the past yearNo. 2 of the year in Piemonte

Where

FranceEarthquakes in the province of Verbano-Cusio-OssolaEarthquakes in Piemonte

Epicentre at sea

The epicentre is at sea: for the same magnitude, the shaking is felt less on land, because the energy fades along the way before reaching the coast.

How far away could it be felt?

An estimate of how far people may have felt this quake.

  • up to ~15 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

1 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

952kgof TNT equivalent
4.0 lightning bolts
M3
×2 the energy of a magnitude 3 earthquake
M2this quakeM4

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

6 km
shallow

At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.

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
1
last 30 days

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

How often does it happen here?

It is the first magnitude ≥ 3 earthquake recorded within 50 km since 2014, the start of our archive.

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

Western Valais

The epicentre lies about 240 km from Western Valais, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 3 and 15 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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