M5.5 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Tortora Marina, Italy — October 31, 2022
2022-10-31 21:42:50 UTC (2022-10-31) · approx. 10:42 PM UTC+1 local
Felt by 6 people across nearby locations.
On October 31, 2022 at 21:42 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 intermediate depth earthquake struck 12 km WSW of Tortora Marina, Italy, at a depth of 271.2 km and coordinates 39.8773°, 15.6395°. The earthquake was reported felt by 6 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.2 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 127 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 468, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Lido (population 1,227).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — 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
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 6 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 12,127,072 |
Earthquake Details
15.6395°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Tortora Marina, Italy?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 12 km WSW of Tortora Marina, Italy on October 31, 2022 at 21:42 UTC had a depth of 271.2 km. It was felt by 6 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.2 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.8773°, 15.6395°, which is 12 km WSW of Tortora Marina, Italy. The nearest populated place is Lido (population 1,227). View all earthquakes in Italy.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ilkv). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, October 31, 2022). M5.5 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Tortora Marina, Italy — October 31, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ilkv/