May 16, 2024
10.40 am
3BMeteo editorial team
reading time
19 seconds
A shock of earthquake of magnitude 3.0, occurred at 10:07 with epicenter in Cittanova, in the province of Reggio Calabria. The estimated depth was approx 16.8 km. You can monitor all the tremors in Italy and the main ones in the world in our special earthquakes section.
Earthquake data is constantly updated thanks to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology: INGV
Why does an earthquake happen and what does it depend on? Earthquakes are very violent manifestations of nature originating from complex movement dynamics that predominantly involve the outermost part of our planet, the crust. The crust is divided into numerous plates, or plates fitted together like a puzzle, there are at least seven large ones and a dozen smaller ones. These plates of crust rest on a partially molten lower layer with plastic behavior called the mantle and move slowly over time, dragged as if on a sort of treadmill by the convective motions present within the mantle itself. The margins of the plates are subject to enormous tensions which lead the rock to break and break down into large fractures, called faults. The activation of the faults causes earthquakes which can be superficial (and cause a lot of damage) or deep (over 50-70km). Earthquakes can also occur far from plate boundaries, for example in volcanic areas.
