With the 25th anniversary of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the new one is born Seismicity Map 1999-2024. This tool offers a detailed picture of earthquakes recorded in Italy and surrounding areas in the last 25 years.
The map represents an important evolution in the understanding and communication of the seismicity of our territory, clearly showing the beyond 72,000 seismic events located between January 1, 1999 and the August 31, 2024.
The Map of Seismicity in Italy 1999-2024 was created by: Maurizio Pignone, Raffaele Moschillo, Anna Nardi, Barbara Castello, Concetta Nostro and Lucia Margheriti and from the Graphics and Images Laboratory of the INGV.
The new map classifies earthquakes based on two main parameters:
- magnitude – identified with symbols of different sizes and shapes. In particular, stars identify the strongest events, with magnitude equal to or greater than 5.0;
- hypopentral depth – indicated through a chromatic scale that goes from yellow to purple. The more superficial events, located in the first 15 km of depth, are shown in yellow, while the deeper earthquakes, with hypocenters reaching hundreds of kilometers, are represented in shades of green and purple.
Distribution of earthquakes on the map
Map analysis reveals that most earthquakes are shallow, concentrating along the Apennine chain in central and southern Italy.
- Northern Italy: earthquakes are distributed along the Eastern Prealpsthe Po Valley and theTuscan-Emilian Apennines. Some events are located at depths greater than 15 km.
- Central Apennines: it is characterized by both superficial and deep seismicity, with hypocenters reaching up to 50 km deep towards the Adriatic Sea.
- Southern Apennines and Calabria: this area presents moderate but widespread seismicity, with significant seismic sequences along the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts and in inland areas.
- Volcanic areas: High seismic activity is evident in areas such asEtna hey Phlegraean Fieldswhere earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4.0 were recorded.
The most significant earthquakes from 1999 to 2024
During the observation period, 72 earthquakes with magnitudes equal to or greater than 5.0 were recorded and three events exceeded magnitude 6. Among the most significant earthquakes, INGV reports:
- 2009 – Abruzzo seismic sequence (M 6.1)
- 2012 – Events in Emilia Romagna (M 5.8 and M 5.6)
- 2016-2017 – Central Italy sequence, with the earthquakes of Amatrice (M 6.0), Visso (M 5.9), Norcia (M 6.5) and Capitignano (M 5.5). The Norcia earthquake of 30 October 2016 is the strongest event recorded by the Integrated National Seismic Network
- 2022 – Earthquake off the coast of the Marche (M 5.5).
The Integrated National Seismic Network
The Seismicity Map shows only a part of all the events recorded by the stations Integrated National Seismic Network (RSNI)which is made up of stations managed by INGV together with other local and regional networks. Thanks to this network, it is possible to obtain detailed and updated data on earthquakes, improving the ability to monitor and analyze seismic events.
The National Seismic Network is made up of approximately 500 stations distributed throughout the national territory, all televised to the INGV Seismic Room, where the 24 hour service location and magnitude assessment for seismic events that occur in Italy and surrounding areas.
Digital tools and interactive features
The dedicated website “Map of seismicity in Italy” is optimized for mobile devices and offers numerous interactive features, including: interactive navigation of the map of the 72,000 recorded earthquakes, detailed information on each event (date, time, magnitude and depth), filters to select earthquakes based on magnitude, depth and time interval and download of previous maps in high definition (PDF), including the 2000-2007 editions, 2000-2012, 2000-2019 and 1980-2020.
