All earthquakes
1.9
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

M1.9 earthquake · 3 km South-East of Lusiana Conco (VI)

9 years ago · 15 Mar 2017, 09:27

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At only a few km deep the shaking is felt more sharply at the surface.

Stronger than 85% of Italian events in the past year

Where

3 km South-East of Lusiana ConcoEarthquakes in the province of VicenzaEarthquakes in Veneto

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

2 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 ≈ 14 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Vicenza
    27 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~5 s
    main shaking in ~8 s
  • Padova
    48 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Trento
    49 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Treviso
    50 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 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

5 km
shallow

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

in line with 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?

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
2
last 7 days
2
last 30 days
0 before1 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence1.2

How often does it happen here?

about every ~41 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 106 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.

16956.4
Asolano earthquake
25 February 1695 · 23 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18915.9
Valle d'Illasi earthquake
7 June 1891 · 44 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18365.5
Asolano earthquake
12 June 1836 · 16 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19435.1
Feltrino earthquake
24 July 1943 · 29 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Thiene-Cornuda

The epicentre lies about 1 km from Thiene-Cornuda, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.5between 1 and 7 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

1.2
3 km South of Pedemonte
25 km West · 16 km
9 years ago
2 Apr 2017, 17:56

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).