Since this morning, 18 January, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) has located over 100 seismic events with a magnitude greater than 2.0 between the provinces of L'Aquila (Montereale, Pizzoli, Capitignano, Campotosto, Cagnano Amiterno) and Rieti ( Amateur).
The strongest earthquakes (magnitude greater than 5.0) occurred at 10:25 Italian time with a magnitude of ML 5.3 (Mw 5.1); 11:14 Italian time of magnitude ML 5.4 (Mw 5.5); 11:25 Italian time of magnitude ML 5.3 (Mw 5.4); 14:33 Italian time of magnitude ML 5.1 (Mw 5.0).
These events were localized by the INGV National Seismic Network in an area about 10-15 km long in the Apennine direction and about 5-6 km wide which is located in an area of very high seismic hazard, between the affected area from the 2009 seismic sequence and the southern part of the seismic sequence that began on 24 August in central Italy.
After the earthquake of 24 August, low-magnitude events occurred in this area concentrated just north of Montereale and in the area between Pizzoli, Barete and Cagnano Amiterno; only one earthquake with a magnitude greater than 4.0 was recorded on November 29, 2016 (M 4.4) at 3 km from Montereale.
The fault affected by this morning's events belongs to the Monti della Laga fault system whose northernmost sector was activated by the August 24 event.
The closest historical earthquake to the area is that of February 2, 1703 with a magnitude Mw 6.7, but the geological data available indicate that this event would have occurred on the westernmost faults (e.g. Pizzoli, Monte Marine).
The occurrence of earthquakes of a magnitude comparable to or greater than those of this morning cannot be ruled out.
