Reviewed by USGSItaly65y ago
M6.2 earthquake 3 km SW of Montecalvo Irpino, Italy
Tuesday, August 21, 1962, 18:19:33 UTC · 41.175°N, 15.009°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 3 km SW of Montecalvo Irpino, Italy on Tuesday, August 21, 1962, 18:19:33 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on January 11, 1962.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
269 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and African plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
20 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on August 21, 1962. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 50 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.25 km W of San Nicolò, ItalySeptember 8, 1905 · 290 km S of this epicenter
- 6.74 km WNW of San Benedetto dei Marsi, ItalyJanuary 13, 1915 · 152 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.63 km SSW of Bisaccia Nuova, ItalyJuly 23, 1930 · 35 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.572 km WSW of Cittadella del Capo, ItalyAugust 1, 1910 · 202 km S of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ENE of Baška Voda, CroatiaJanuary 11, 1962 · 294 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2CroatiaJanuary 7, 1962 · 284 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.025 km W of San Marco, ItalyJuly 7, 1915 · 104 km S of this epicenter
- 5.91 km ENE of Cairano, ItalyJune 7, 1910 · 44 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 82 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 119,125 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1703
Central Apennino, Norcia, L'Aquila, Perugia
14 Jan 1703 · 238 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1915M7.5
Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi
13 Jan 1915 · 155 km away · intensity XI
29,978 deaths$60 million damage
- 1857M6.5
Campania, Potenza
16 Dec 1857 · 128 km away · intensity X
10,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1703M6.7
L'Aquila (Aquila)
2 Feb 1703 · 208 km away · intensity XI
10,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1857
Calabria,Montemurro
16 Sep 1857 · 230 km away
10,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1805
Molise, Rosolone, Napoli (Naples), Isernia
26 Jul 1805 · 26 km away · intensity XI
5,600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.