M2.8 earthquake · 23 km North-East of Lipari (ME)
A light earthquake, rarely felt by people. Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.
Where
23 km North-East of LipariEarthquakes in the province of MessinaEarthquakes in SiciliaVolcanic area: Stromboli
Here the ground shakes mostly because of moving magma and underground fluids, not colliding plates: events are typically shallow, frequent and organised in swarms. This activity is constantly monitored by INGV.
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
13 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.
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.
Animation sped up ~15× compared to reality.
- Messina63 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~45 smain shaking in ~78 s
- Reggio di Calabria80 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~46 smain shaking in ~79 s
- Lamezia Terme97 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~47 smain shaking in ~81 s
- Cosenza111 km from the epicentrefirst tremor in ~48 smain shaking in ~82 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
Being deep, it is felt less at the surface.
deeper than the area average (~108 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 an aftershock: it follows a stronger quake (M3.0, 3 years ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.
How often does it happen here?
Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2.5 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 610 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The epicentre lies about 42 km from Milazzo-Eolie, 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).