All earthquakes
0.3
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

M0.3 earthquake · 5 km South of Verzegnis (UD)

6 years ago · 16 Jan 2020, 17:28

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

Stronger than 0% of Italian events in the past year

Where

5 km South of VerzegnisEarthquakes in the province of UdineEarthquakes in Friuli-Venezia Giulia

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

29 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

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

0.1kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×11,220 its energy
M-1this quakeM1

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 ≈ 29 s

Animation sped up ~5× compared to reality.

  • Udine
    37 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~7 s
    main shaking in ~11 s
  • Pordenone
    48 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • Treviso
    91 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~15 s
    main shaking in ~26 s
  • Trieste
    99 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~17 s
    main shaking in ~29 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
1.2 times the height of Mount Everest

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

in line with the area average (~9 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 (M3.0, 6 years ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

3.0
The mainshock
2 km West of Forni di Sotto
6 years ago · 3 Jan 2020, 13:53
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
3
last 24 hours
7
last 7 days
23
last 30 days
12 before16 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence3.0

How often does it happen here?

about every ~17 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 255 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.

19766.5
Friuli earthquake
6 May 1976 · 16 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15116.3
Friuli-Slovenia earthquake
26 March 1511 · 24 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18736.3
Alpago Cansiglio earthquake
29 June 1873 · 47 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
19286.0
Carnia earthquake
27 March 1928 · 6 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

Tramonti-Montemaggiore

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.2between 1 and 6 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

1.8
4 km East of Claut
29 km West · 9 km
6 years ago
16 Jan 2020, 17:09
1.2
2 km South of Lusevera
26 km East · 11 km
6 years ago
15 Jan 2020, 01:32
1.4
9 km South of Forni di Sotto
24 km West · 10 km
6 years ago
13 Jan 2020, 17:40
1.1
4 km South-East of Venzone
21 km East · 11 km
6 years ago
21 Jan 2020, 12:22
1.5
3 km North of Lusevera
25 km East · 11 km
6 years ago
10 Jan 2020, 14:31
0.7
2 km North-East of Venzone
19 km East · 9 km
6 years ago
10 Jan 2020, 14:13
2.0
2 km West of Enemonzo
12 km North-West · 9 km
6 years ago
8 Jan 2020, 14:35
0.7
6 years ago
25 Jan 2020, 19:55
1.2
3 km East of Trasaghis
10 km East · 9 km
6 years ago
27 Jan 2020, 22:10
1.1
4 km West of Forni di Sotto
27 km West · 11 km
6 years ago
3 Jan 2020, 14:45

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).