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3.0
weak
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

13 km West of Isole Tremiti

43 months ago · 21 Feb, 20:37

A weak earthquake, felt by some of the population. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

Stronger than 98% of Italian events in the past year

Where

13 km West of Isole TremitiEarthquakes in the province of FoggiaEarthquakes in Puglia

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.

477kgof TNT equivalent
2.0 lightning bolts
M3
About the same energy as 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.

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 ≈ 30 s

Animation sped up ~6× compared to reality.

  • San Severo
    59 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~11 s
    main shaking in ~19 s
  • Manfredonia
    69 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~12 s
    main shaking in ~21 s
  • Foggia
    76 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~14 s
    main shaking in ~23 s
  • Cerignola
    103 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~18 s
    main shaking in ~30 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

27 km
medium depth
3.1 times the height of Mount Everest

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

deeper than the area average (~14 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
5
last 30 days
3 before1 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence3.0

How often does it happen here?

about every ~3 months

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 3 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 50 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.

16276.7
Capitanata earthquake
30 July 1627 · 43 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16276.0
Capitanata earthquake
7 August 1627 · 41 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
16576.0
Capitanata earthquake
29 January 1657 · 44 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16275.8
Capitanata earthquake
30 July 1627 · 49 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Tocco Casauria-Tremiti

The epicentre sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.5between 11 and 20 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

1.8
14 km North-East of Isole Tremiti
25 km North-East · 7 km
43 months ago
11 Feb, 22:09
1.9
42 months ago
13 Mar, 12:43
3.0
11 km East of Isole Tremiti
23 km East · 24 km
44 months ago
26 Jan, 17:41
1.4
12 km North of Lesina
16 km South · 10 km
44 months ago
24 Jan, 01:12

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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