All earthquakes
1.2
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

M1.2 earthquake · 4 km North-East of Strongoli (KR)

10 years ago · 8 Aug 2016, 07:45

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

Stronger than 48% of Italian events in the past year

Where

4 km North-East of StrongoliEarthquakes in the province of CrotoneEarthquakes in Calabria

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

13 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

1.0kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×501 its energy
M0this quakeM2

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 ≈ 21 s

Animation sped up ~4× compared to reality.

  • Crotone
    18 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~4 s
    main shaking in ~7 s
  • Catanzaro
    60 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~18 s
  • Corigliano-Rossano
    69 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~12 s
    main shaking in ~20 s
  • Cosenza
    71 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~12 s
    main shaking in ~21 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

18 km
medium depth
2 times the height of Mount Everest

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

in line with the area average (~21 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 (M2.1, 10 years ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

2.1
The mainshock
4 km South-East of Melissa
10 years ago · 8 Aug 2016, 07:44
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
0
last 7 days
2
last 30 days
6 before6 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence2.1

How often does it happen here?

about every ~9 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 495 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.

16386.8
Crotonese earthquake
8 June 1638 · 24 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18326.7
Crotonese earthquake
8 March 1832 · 26 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18366.2
Calabria settentrionale earthquake
25 April 1836 · 45 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17445.7
Sila Piccola earthquake
21 March 1744 · 37 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

Crotone-Rossano

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.3between 3 and 12 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

2.1
4 km South-East of Melissa
2 km West · 17 km
10 years ago
8 Aug 2016, 07:44
1.4
10 years ago
8 Aug 2016, 07:46
1.1
4 km South-West of Scala Coeli
25 km North-West · 27 km
10 years ago
7 Aug 2016, 12:57
1.6
4 km South-West of Scala Coeli
26 km North-West · 23 km
10 years ago
7 Aug 2016, 12:54
1.4
1 km East of Terravecchia
24 km North-West · 29 km
10 years ago
6 Aug 2016, 08:46
1.7
3 km East of Campana
25 km North-West · 23 km
10 years ago
10 Aug 2016, 08:19
0.7
2 km North of Campana
28 km North-West · 24 km
10 years ago
10 Aug 2016, 08:24
1.4
4 km South-West of Scala Coeli
25 km North-West · 24 km
10 years ago
5 Aug 2016, 15:58
1.4
3 km North-East of Campana
26 km North-West · 25 km
10 years ago
5 Aug 2016, 15:06
0.3
4 km North-East of Campana
26 km North-West · 24 km
10 years ago
11 Aug 2016, 02:46

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).