In 2020, the National Seismic Network of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) recorded 16.597 earthquakes in Italy. An average of about 45 tremors per day, with an interval of one every half hour.
“The number of localized tremors in Italy in 2020 is very similar to that of 2019. A lower number when compared to those of 2016 and 2017, characterized by the seismic sequence in central Italy, which began on August 24, 2016,” says Alessandro Amato, seismologist at INGV.
The first earthquake of 2020 occurred on January 1, 2020 in Sefro, in the province of Macerata, just a minute and a half after the stroke of midnight. The last one, on the other hand, on December 31, 2020 at 23:41 pm was in Ragalna, Sicily, both with magnitude less than 2,0.
As always, however, the Sardinia is confirmed as the region with the lowest number of earthquakes in Italy.
“Almost 90% of the earthquakes located in Italy in 2020 had a magnitude below 2,0 and were probably not felt by the population”, explains Maurizio Pignone, geologist at INGV.
According to him, the Most earthquakes are linked to seismic sequences. Others, on the other hand, are considered “isolated” events, such as the Milan earthquake on December 17, magnitude 3,8.
The earthquakes that marked 2020 are “navigable” with the interactive map created by INGV Terremoti team.
“With this application, we classify earthquakes with a magnitude greater than or equal to 1,5. Visitors can see the relative hypocentral parameters of each event”, highlights Maurizio Pignone.
“Italy will always continue to have earthquakes and we must invest in greater knowledge to better defend ourselves in the future”, concludes Professor Carlo Doglioni, president of INGV.
