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EARTHQUAKES

Second earthquake in a week shakes Naples and Campi Flegrei

A 4.0-magnitude earthquake shook Italy's volcanic region of Campi Flegrei and the city of Naples on Monday night, the latest in a series of tremors in recent days.

Published: 3 October 2023 09:12 CEST
Second earthquake in a week shakes Naples and Campi Flegrei
The southern Italian city of Naples in the shadow of the Vesuvius volcano. File photo: MARIO LAPORTA / AFP

The quake, which occurred shortly after 10pm, did not result in any injuries or damage, the civil protection agency said on X, formerly Twitter.

The epicentre was located at a depth of around three kilometres (nearly two miles) between Naples and Pozzuoli, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The earthquake was felt “distinctly” across of the city, reported news agency Ansa, from the hilly area of ​​Vomero to the seafront.

Emergency services were inundated with hundreds of calls from panicked residents, Ansa reported.

The earthquake, initially reported to have been between 3.2 and 3.7 on the Richter scale before the measurement was revised, felt like “a lorry hitting the building”, wrote one Naples resident on X.

The area around the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) volcano, which last erupted in 1538 and would put half a million inhabitants in danger in the event of an eruption, has been the scene of increased seismic activity in
recent days with a series of tremors.

On Wednesday, a 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded, the strongest the area has seen in 40 years.

INGV director Mario Di Vito warned that “it is possible that there will be tremors of greater intensity” in the near future.

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EARTHQUAKES

Italy’s Siena province shaken by 3.4 earthquake

A 3.4-magnitude earthquake shook the Siena province, central Tuscany, on Tuesday evening, resulting in no damage but causing residents to run out into the streets.

Published: 17 April 2024 09:50 CEST
Italy’s Siena province shaken by 3.4 earthquake

The quake, which occurred at 7.49pm local time, did not result in any damage but caused “panic” among residents, with many rushing out into the streets, Tuscany’s president Eugenio Giani said.

The epicentre was located four kilometres east of the town of Poggibonsi, in the Siena province, at a depth of around 8.3 kilometres, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The quake was initially estimated to have been between 3.2 and 3.7 on the Richter magnitude scale before official data placed it at 3.4. 

Poggibonsi mayor David Bussagli said the quake “was felt distinctly” but “no damage to people or things” had been reported.

The tremor was also felt by residents in Florence, Arezzo and Pisa, according to local media reports.

READ ALSO: What to do in an earthquake in Italy

Tremors are not new to the area. A 3.5 quake struck the city of Siena, which is famous for its artistic heritage and the Palio horse race, last February, causing local museums, schools and universities to close for a day. 

Italy is among the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe as the Italian peninsula lies right where the African tectonic plate converges with the Eurasian plate, meaning that the country is “seismic in its entirety”, according to the country’s Civil Protection Department.

READ ALSO: Which parts of Italy have the highest risk of earthquakes?

Italy has been hit by more than 30,000 medium to strong earthquakes over the past 2,500 years, and seven earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or more in the 20th century alone.

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