Another year in which the seismicity recorded by INGV is constant
There are 16.307 earthquakes recorded in 2023 on Italian territory and in the neighboring areas from the National Seismic Network: a average of 44 earthquakes per day, almost 1 earthquake every 30 minutes
The strongest earthquakes were located outside the Italian territory or at sea along the coasts, similar to what also happened in 2022.
Seismic events of magnitude equal to or greater than 5.0 have happenedin Croatia and in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea.
Right off the Calabrian coast, the strongest earthquake of the year occurred on May 1, 2023, with a magnitude of Mw 5.2 at 4:41 am. However, thanks to its high depth, 268km, it did not cause alarm in the Calabrian territory.
The total number of earthquakes located in Italy in 2023 is almost identical to that of 2022it remains stable at around 16 earthquakes since 2019, decreasing compared to the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 characterized by the seismic sequence in central Italy, (Amatrice-Norcia-Visso) which began on 24 August 2016. The contribution of this sequence in terms of number of events is however also important in 2023, representing approximately 30% of the total seismicity recorded in Italy.
Some numbers and curiosities about the 2023 earthquakes in Italy and neighboring areas
The numbers of 2023
16307 recorded and localized earthquakes.
2018 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or greater.
233 earthquakes of magnitude between 3.0 and 3.9
26 earthquakes with a magnitude between 4.0 and 4.9, 19 of which were located in Italy: in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, in the Adriatic off the Marche coast, on the Gargano coast of Puglia, in Molise and in the Campi Flegrei in Campania.
2 events of magnitude greater than or equal to 5.0, one very deep in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Calabria with magnitude Mw 5.2, and the other near the northern coast of Croatia on 16 February with magnitude Ml 5.1
The places of 2022
In Tuscanythe strongest earthquake on the mainland: an event of magnitude Mw 4.9 was recorded in Marradi (FI), on 18 September 2023 at 05:10 (Italian time).
Sicily, on the other hand, is the region that has recorded the most earthquakes of magnitude equal to or greater than 2.0. There were 181 events with this magnitude on the island.
If earthquakes smaller than 2.0 are also counted, the record would be conditioned by the density of the seismic network - denser in some areas of Italy - and they would "win" Marche and Umbria.
The region with fewer earthquakes: the Sardinia, as always.
Seismic sequences in Italy in 2023
As in previous years, numerous more or less long seismic sequences were also recorded in 2023, some of which were already active in previous years, such as the sequence in central Italy that began in August 2016.
In the year just In the past the seismic sequences have generally been short-lived and with not high magnitude values
- The sequence Amatrice-Visso-Norcia (central Italy), approximately 5000 earthquakes
- The sequence in Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, approximately 800 earthquakes
- The sequence in Umbertide in Umbria, approximately 300 earthquakes
- The sequence ai Phlegraean Fields in Campania, approximately 450 earthquakes considering only events with a magnitude greater than or equal to 1.0.
Seismic sequences in Türkiye and Morocco
In 2023, two important seismic events occurred in the Mediterranean area.
February 6, 2023, in the Anatolia region in Türkiye, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 It caused thousands of victims and devastating damage.
The 9 September 2023 a seismic event of magnitude 6.8 hit Morocco and caused around 2900 victims.
These two events, although not concerning the Italian territory under the Institute's competence, have also attracted a lot of attention in Italian society. Therefore, INGV made its knowledge and resources available to the media to explain the disastrous natural events.
The interactive map of the 2023 earthquakes
The 2023 seismicity recorded by the INGV National Seismic Network is shown in a , available in the INGVterremoti story maps gallery. In this application the 16307 earthquakes classified and themed according to their magnitude are represented. Each event can be queried to view the relevant hypocentral parameters and the event information page from the "Earthquakes - Real-time data" portal.
Infographics are available in the application which show, for an area chosen by the user on the map, the number of total earthquakes located in 2023, the maximum magnitude, the list with the earthquakes of greatest magnitude, the magnitude classes and finally the graph of the distribution of the number of events in the 12 months of the year.
"The mapping of seismic events that occurred in Italy constitutes an important scientific dissemination tool that INGV publishes to raise awareness among citizens and geoscience researchers of the fragility of our territories along the entire peninsula. INGV seismic monitoring and surveillance is continuous, 24 hours a day, every minute, every day of the year. It is essential to spread awareness of seismic danger and the importance of knowing more and more about the geological structure of our nation, in order to better protect ourselves from seismic risk. An example of such events is represented by the "Words for the Earth" Day promoted by INGV every January.
The Earth is a living planet and Italy will continue to be hit by earthquakes with potentially destructive magnitudes capable of causing social and economic upheavals. Investing in a thorough understanding of natural risks means investing in defending our future”, He concludes Carlo Doglioni, President of INGV.
Link to evaluate:
The map of the epicenters of the over 16 thousand earthquakes located by the National Seismic Network in 2023
The blue column represents the total number of seismic events (all recorded magnitudes) and reaches very high values during 2016 and 2017 due to the sequence in central Italy. Since 2019, the number of earthquakes has been stable at around 16 thousand events, with variations of a few hundred earthquakes between 5 years.
The red column indicates only the number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or greater. Even for the strongest earthquakes, the trend of the last 5 years remains almost unchanged
The interactive map of 2023, on the pages of INGVterremoti
From this year the version for "mobile" devices is also available, just open the application link on your smartphone to view the interactive map