M4.5 Earthquake 7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy — December 22, 2020
2020-12-22 20:27:23 UTC (2020-12-22) · approx. 9:27 PM UTC+1 local
Felt by 18 people across nearby locations.
On December 22, 2020 at 20:27 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy, at a depth of 23.0 km and coordinates 36.9548°, 14.4067°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 85 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 767 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Italy, a region characterized by the Apennine extensional belt and Calabrian subduction zone, where Africa-Eurasia convergence produces complex faulting. View all earthquakes in Italy.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 18 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
14.4067°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Scoglitti, Italy?
The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck 7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy on December 22, 2020 at 20:27 UTC had a depth of 23.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.9548°, 14.4067°, which is 7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy. View all earthquakes in Italy.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Italy had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Italy was the M7.2 Messina earthquake of December 28, 1908. Today's magnitude 4.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000d1yt). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, December 22, 2020). M4.5 Earthquake 7 km NNW of Scoglitti, Italy — December 22, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000d1yt/