All earthquakes
4.0
moderate
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

3 km East of Parenti

132 months ago · 3 Aug, 09:27

A moderate earthquake, felt by people in the area. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

No. 4 of the month in ItalyStronger than 99% of Italian events in the past yearNo. 5 of the year in Calabria

Where

3 km East of ParentiEarthquakes in the province of CosenzaEarthquakes in Calabria

How far away could it be felt?

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

  • up to ~7 km · felt by many people, especially on upper floors
    ≈ 4,000 people live in this area
  • up to ~41 km · felt only by some, at rest
    ≈ 660,000 people live in this area

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.

15tof TNT equivalent
63 lightning bolts
M3
×32 the energy of a magnitude 3 earthquake
M3this quakeM5

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.

  • Cosenza
    24 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~5 s
    main shaking in ~9 s
  • Lamezia Terme
    28 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~6 s
    main shaking in ~10 s
  • Catanzaro
    30 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~6 s
    main shaking in ~10 s
  • Crotone
    52 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 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

19 km
medium depth
2.2 times the height of Mount Everest

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

in line with the area average (~18 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?

Mainshock

It is the strongest quake of its sequence: so far it has been followed by 69 aftershocks within 30 km. Aftershocks tend to fade in number and strength over time.

Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
3
last 7 days
21
last 30 days
10 before69 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence2.7

How often does it happen here?

about every ~15 months

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 4 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 9 events in the last 11 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.

16387.1
Calabria centrale earthquake
27 March 1638 · 21 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17837.0
Calabria centrale earthquake
28 March 1783 · 40 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
16386.8
Crotonese earthquake
8 June 1638 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
11846.8
Valle del Crati earthquake
24 May 1184 · 38 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Ampollino Lake

The epicentre lies about 4 km from Ampollino Lake, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 1 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).

Other quakes in the area

2.7
4 km East of Parenti
2 km East · 18 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 09:30
2.3
4 km East of Parenti
2 km East · 19 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 09:31
1.2
5 km East of Parenti
3 km North-East · 20 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 09:32
2.3
5 km East of Parenti
3 km North-East · 16 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 09:55
1.4
5 km East of Parenti
2 km East · 17 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 09:57
1.0
4 km East of Parenti
1 km East · 14 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 10:46
1.6
3 km East of Parenti
1 km North-East · 10 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 10:49
1.5
4 km East of Parenti
1 km South-East · 17 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 11:16
0.6
4 km East of Parenti
1 km East · 18 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 12:01
0.9
3 km East of Parenti
0 km East · 10 km
132 months ago
3 Aug, 12:11

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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