All earthquakes
3.0
weak
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

24 km North-East of Mondolfo

43 months ago · 14 Dec, 09:34

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 year

Where

24 km North-East of MondolfoEarthquakes in the province of Pesaro e UrbinoEarthquakes in Marche

How far away could it be felt?

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

  • up to ~10 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

61 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 ≈ 16 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Fano
    25 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~4 s
    main shaking in ~7 s
  • Pesaro
    32 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~6 s
    main shaking in ~9 s
  • Ancona
    46 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Rimini
    56 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~16 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

9 km
shallow

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

in line with the area average (~12 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?

Aftershock

It is an aftershock: it follows a stronger quake (M4.2, 43 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

4.2
The mainshock
24 km North-East of Mondolfo
43 months ago · 20 Nov, 06:20
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
0
last 7 days
2
last 30 days
422 before178 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence4.2

How often does it happen here?

about every ~54 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 3 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 78 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.

19305.8
Senigallia earthquake
30 October 1930 · 32 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19165.8
Riminese earthquake
17 May 1916 · 41 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19165.8
Riminese earthquake
16 August 1916 · 39 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19245.5
Senigallia earthquake
2 January 1924 · 25 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

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

The closest seismic structure

Pesaro mare-Cornelia

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.5between 2 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

2.2
43 months ago
14 Dec, 05:05
1.3
43 months ago
14 Dec, 19:46
2.1
43 months ago
14 Dec, 22:19
1.9
22 km North of Mondolfo
3 km South-West · 10 km
43 months ago
13 Dec, 19:13
2.0
43 months ago
13 Dec, 18:37
3.2
43 months ago
13 Dec, 18:35
2.4
43 months ago
13 Dec, 18:32
1.5
43 months ago
15 Dec, 01:02
1.5
43 months ago
15 Dec, 01:42
1.7
43 months ago
13 Dec, 15:33

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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