M6.0 earthquake 4 km NNE of Massa Finalese, Italy

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 02:03:52 UTC · 44.890°N, 11.230°E

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 4 km NNE of Massa Finalese, Italy on Sunday, May 20, 2012, 02:03:52 UTC, at a depth of 6.3 km (shallow). USGS received 2,224 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). The USGS PAGER alert is orange: significant casualties and damage are likely. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on September 26, 1997.

Magnitude: 6.0; Strong · mww
Depth: 6 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 2,224; Max intensity VIII
Est. shaking: VI; Strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Orange; Impact estimate
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

15 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 32 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

644 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

6 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

2,224 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 100 km

USGS lists 35 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on May 29, 2012. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 137 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 123 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 44,238 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1703
Central Apennino, Norcia, L'Aquila, Perugia
14 Jan 1703 · 278 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1920M5.8
Carrara,Garfagnana
7 Sep 1920 · 99 km away · intensity X
1,400 deaths
1976M6.5
Ne, Balkans Nw: Slovenia: Nw
6 May 1976 · 228 km away · intensity X
978 deaths$3.6 billion damage
1887M6.5
Ligurian Coast
23 Feb 1887 · 272 km away · intensity X
600 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1789
Citta Di Castello,Sansepolcro
30 Sep 1789 · 173 km away · intensity X
500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1730
Norcia
12 May 1730 · 272 km away · intensity X
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers