M4.3 Earthquake 9 km NNE of Carlentini, Italy — December 23, 2021
2021-12-23 21:33:44 UTC (2021-12-23) · approx. 10:33 PM UTC+1 local
Felt by 21 people across nearby locations.
On December 23, 2021 at 21:33 UTC, a magnitude 4.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 9 km NNE of Carlentini, Italy, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 37.3584°, 15.0589°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 558 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 21 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
15.0589°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.3 earthquake near Carlentini, Italy?
The magnitude 4.3 earthquake that struck 9 km NNE of Carlentini, Italy on December 23, 2021 at 21:33 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 37.3584°, 15.0589°, which is 9 km NNE of Carlentini, Italy. View all earthquakes in Italy.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.3 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 4.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gex4). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 23, 2021). M4.3 Earthquake 9 km NNE of Carlentini, Italy — December 23, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gex4/