Reviewed by USGSItaly113y ago
M6.7 earthquake 4 km WNW of San Benedetto dei Marsi, Italy
Wednesday, January 13, 1915, 06:52:43 UTC · 42.025°N, 13.578°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 4 km WNW of San Benedetto dei Marsi, Italy on Wednesday, January 13, 1915, 06:52:43 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
163 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 343 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
364 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
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 10 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 5.91 km ENE of Cairano, ItalyJune 7, 1910 · 196 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.89 km ESE of Marina di Camerota, ItalyApril 5, 1911 · 278 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.51 km WNW of Forlì, ItalyFebruary 19, 1911 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.42 km ESE of Castropignano, ItalyOctober 4, 1913 · 96 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.45 km WSW of Ambra, ItalyAugust 25, 1909 · 225 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.31 km NNE of Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, ItalyMarch 20, 1911 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.2southern ItalyAugust 25, 1905 · 17 km E of this epicenter
- 5.23 km WSW of Paduli, ItalyNovember 26, 1905 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 50 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 106,450 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1703
Central Apennino, Norcia, L'Aquila, Perugia
14 Jan 1703 · 93 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1915M7.5
Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi
13 Jan 1915 · 7 km away · intensity XI
29,978 deaths$60 million damage
- 1857M6.5
Campania, Potenza
16 Dec 1857 · 279 km away · intensity X
10,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1703M6.7
L'Aquila (Aquila)
2 Feb 1703 · 58 km away · intensity XI
10,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1805
Molise, Rosolone, Napoli (Naples), Isernia
26 Jul 1805 · 131 km away · intensity XI
5,600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1731M6.3
Foggia
20 Mar 1731 · 170 km away · intensity X
3,600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.