Thursday, October 26, 2006

Seaquake Shakes Southern Italy Near Stromboli

The ANNOTICO Report

 

The quake, which measured 5.7 on the Richter scale is rather strong, but  combination of the offshore location, and the epicentre at a depth of more than 200 metres spared damage, but  sent people running out onto the streets in fear.

200 sea tremors have been recorded in the area over the past 20 years. That's almost one a month!!!!!!

 

SEAQUAKE SHAKES  SOUTHERN  ITALY

 

But offshore epicentre prevents damage

 

(ANSA) - Catanzaro,

October 26, 2006 

 

Southern Italy was rocked by a major seaquake on Thursday but the offshore location of the quake prevented any injuries or damage .

The quake, which measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, struck at around 16.30 local time in the waters between Calabria on the toe of Italy and the island of Sicily .

Experts said the epicentre was near the volcanic island of Stromboli to the north of Sicily at a depth of more than 200 metres .

While it was felt most strongly in Calabria and Sicily, with people running out onto the streets in fear, it also shook the regions of Puglia and Basilicata .

Civil protection officials said they were thankful the quake occurred at such a depth, stressing that it could have caused major damage if had been closer to the surface or nearer the shoreline .

The head of the national geophysics and volcanology institute, Enzo Boschi, said that "the depth of the epicentre reduced the destructive capacity"! .

But he also stressed that the phenomenon was common in the area concerned .

"There is no cause for concern... There are certain zones where such deep earthquakes can occur and the area between Stromboli and Calabria is one of these," he said .

Boschi said that some 200 sea tremors had been recorded in the area over the past 20 years, 50 of which were similar to Thursday's .

But another expert, Professor Ignazio Guerra of the University of Calabria, said the quake had been unusually violent .

"We have recorded numerous earthquakes in those waters but this was particularly strong," he said .

The last major earthquake to hit Italy was in October 2002, when a quake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck the southern half of the country .

The force of the quake toppled a school in the Molise village of San Giuliano in Puglia, killing 26 children and a teacher. Two other elderly women were killed in San Giuliano when their homes! partially collapsed .

In November 1997, another major quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale rocked the central-northern regions of Umbria and the Marche causing 11 deaths .

One of Italy's biggest earthquake tragedies occurred in 1980, when almost 2,600 people died after a quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit the southern regions of Campania and Basilicata .

http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/

english/news/2006-10-26_1268993.html

 

 

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