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3.1
weak
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

2 km North-East of Rossiglione

130 months ago · 10 Oct, 22:18

A weak earthquake, felt by some of the population. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

Stronger than 98% of Italian events in the past yearNo. 1 of the year in LiguriaThe strongest of the past 12 months within 50 km

Where

2 km North-East of RossiglioneEarthquakes in the province of GenovaEarthquakes in Liguria

How far away could it be felt?

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

  • up to ~12 km · felt only by some, at rest
    ≈ 33,000 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

1 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

How much energy this quake unleashed, translated into everyday comparisons.

674kgof TNT equivalent
2.8 lightning bolts
M3
×1.4 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 ≈ 16 s

Animation sped up ~3× compared to reality.

  • Genova
    21 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~4 s
    main shaking in ~7 s
  • Savona
    33 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~6 s
    main shaking in ~10 s
  • Alessandria
    39 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~7 s
    main shaking in ~12 s
  • Asti
    54 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

11 km
medium depth
1.3 times the height of Mount Everest

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

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
0
last 7 days
1
last 30 days

No other quakes within 30 km in the 30 days around the event.

How often does it happen here?

about every ~2.3 years

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 3 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 5 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.

18285.7
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake
9 October 1828 · 40 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
15415.3
Valle Scrivia earthquake
22 October 1541 · 28 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19455.1
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake
29 June 1945 · 46 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
16805.1
Valle Scrivia earthquake
30 April 1680 · 17 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

Eastern Monferrato

The epicentre lies about 37 km from Eastern Monferrato, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.4between 1 and 8 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).

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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