All earthquakes
3.2
weak
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

0 km West of Pieve Torina

102 months ago · 19 Jan, 16:36

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 yearNo. 5 of the year in Marche

Where

0 km West of Pieve TorinaEarthquakes in the province of MacerataEarthquakes in Marche

How far away could it be felt?

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

  • up to ~15 km · felt only by some, at rest
    ≈ 8,000 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.

952kgof TNT equivalent
4.0 lightning bolts
M3
×2 the energy of 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 ≈ 19 s

Animation sped up ~4× compared to reality.

  • Foligno
    18 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~3 s
    main shaking in ~6 s
  • Terni
    56 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~9 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Perugia
    57 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Teramo
    67 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~11 s
    main shaking in ~19 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

8 km
shallow

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

in line with the area average (~11 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?

Seismic swarm

It is part of a seismic swarm: many closely spaced quakes in the same area, with no dominant shock. A typical, well-known behaviour of some Italian areas.

Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
6
last 24 hours
56
last 7 days
329
last 30 days
908 before874 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence3.1

How often does it happen here?

about every ~4 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 3 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 1165 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.

17036.9
Valnerina earthquake
14 January 1703 · 33 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
20166.6
Valnerina earthquake
30 October 2016 · 21 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
13286.5
Valnerina earthquake
1 December 1328 · 16 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18326.4
Valle Umbra earthquake
13 January 1832 · 35 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Muccia-Castelluccio di Norcia

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 2 and 10 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

1.0
102 months ago
19 Jan, 17:42
1.2
4 km West of Norcia
25 km South · 11 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 15:03
1.8
1 km South-East of Muccia
6 km North · 8 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 18:28
0.9
3 km West of Ussita
11 km South-East · 11 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 18:55
0.9
1 km East of Monte Cavallo
3 km South-West · 13 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 19:13
1.5
4 km North of Norcia
23 km South-East · 11 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 13:56
1.3
4 km South-West of Ussita
14 km South-East · 6 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 13:39
1.8
1 km South-East of Muccia
6 km North · 8 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 13:36
1.2
5 km South-West of Montemonaco
27 km South-East · 11 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 12:26
1.2
1 km East of Pieve Torina
1 km East · 10 km
102 months ago
19 Jan, 20:50

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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