Earthquake......

Flip

05/20/2012 - 04:47

Was awoken at just gone 4.00 am with bed violently shaking and wardrobe doors banging. Apparently epicentre in Emilia Romana about 8 point something just over the Mountains from us not sure of how much damage elsewhere.

Comment

Latest reports are 4 killed and lots of damage to buildings http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18135898

Well I slept through it and normally I feel every shiver. A friend in our village felt it but no damage here.

Hope all is ok Flip. Just checked the INGV site and your area is being hit quite hard as the depth is shallower. http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/ Edited to add this: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-2147065/Northern-Italy-earthq... So sad about the deaths.

Luckily no damage here in Northern Tuscany, except I think a few more cracks in the walls, luckily for us it all seems to be confined to the other side of the Appenines. Very sorry for all those directly affected; but must check to make sure Insurance policy in force !!

It's good to know that you're all safe and some of you actually slept through it Phew! It must be horrendous :( , at the moment, for those who lost their loved ones 3 days ago. And the aftershocks are probably making everybody feel very uncertain. Italy seems to be experiencing quite a bit of activity lately, with earthquakes and volcanoes getting a little active (Etna) . But the distance from Bologna and L'Aquila to the volcanoes is quite large, so there can't be a connection there. Could Bologna and L'Aquila earthquakes be related? That's out too because their respective earthquakes displayed different behaviour. Bologna's seems a little odd, though. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Aquila+and+Bologna&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozi... Some interesting information here http://www.sott.net/articles/show/245700-Why-Italy-s-Earthquake-Was-Weird I'm not so sure how reliable this one is... but it makes for an interesting and intriguing read.... http://ahrcanum.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/earthquake-italycern/

I use a very good site to check out seismic activity in Italy - you will see there are lots of tremors going on in the Po valley NE of the Appenines but there was also a smaller tremor 170 Km North of Rome. If you pan out you will see the activity runs right down the Appenines and over into Greece etc which is usual as it is one of the tectonic plate joins. Fascinating stuff emsc-csem.org

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/italy/gshap.ph The yellow bits seem the safest ones. I'd like to visit Etruscan coast sometimes and perhaps find a place to live (it's only a plan in 'dream' state level at the moment ), and it looks ok.

Two more this morning, one I felt just before 9, parked up at the petrol station and thought my car was rolling back so grabbed the handbrake, very strange experience. Wish Italy would keep still.

Reports of another big one are coming in. No further fatalities reported. Hope you are OK http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18246904

Update http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18247659

The Spanish media has just reported that there are at least 11 dead and that the intensity has been between 5.8 and 6 (conflicting reports) on the Richter scale. My heart and my prayers go to the victims and their families. What a tragedy!!!

It hit about 9.00 today we felt it here in Lucca Province. All the local schools have been closed as a precautionary measure, but no damage. Reports of at least 4 killed around Modena

A shame the early reports were wrong. I feel sad for all the victims families.

Anyone out there got any news of whether there's been any effect in le Marche? I'm due to fly out on thursday to Venice and drive down to San Ginesio.

Disaster (again) in Italy! Here in Southern Le Marche, I have seen or heard nothing regarding damage locally. S

Where abouts are you Flip? We are due to go to our house near Piazza al Serchio this Friday, hope there is no damage. We were there in February and felt that one - quite an experience. I feel so sad for the victims families. Let us hope this is the last one for a while.

Molinello, I am in vontact with friends and neighbours in Bagni di Lucca and Ponte a Serraglio. No problems there. The school was closed as a precaution only.

Molinello, I am about 50 mins from Piazza al Serchio, and about 1 hr from Modena. I felt it here but we haven't had any damage fortunately. An Italian told me yesterday that as we are in the mountains we don't get them as strong as in other areas - don't know if this is true or not but lets hope so!

This current earthquake swarm in Emilia is ghastly, and unusual. The epicentres are very shallow (the biggest one having been at about 10km), but many up to 3+ (Richter) have been at less than 3km depth. They are getting a 2+ tremor every ten minutes (approx). The thing about rock is that it 'leaps', or shudders, (and this can have devastating consequences for buildings which are founded half on rock and half on built up ground): but the effects on a deep soil geology (where this stuff is happening now) are that the whole world effectively liquidises itself into something less solid than ice cream. There have been alterations in altitude of 15cm - doesn't sound a lot - but few masonry (historic) structures can cope with this on clay. The seismologists have been uttering rather pessimistic opinions about the possibility of future shocks in Emilia. For any of you looking to find an earthquake-proof area of Italy, it is somewhat chilling to learn that the affected area was considered 'very safe' only ten years ago...

Hi , we're not far from Bagni, and no real damage here this time, luckily (for us) most seems to the other side of the Apenines, in Emilia Romagna.

Think we had better double check our insurances! Never took into consideration earthquakes when we bought our place.

We bought in Emilia 8 years ago because it was considered reasonably calm compared to Umbria, Marche etc. But before I came here I lived in Yorkshire and we had one there in 2002. Things happen everywhere, I'd still rather be here than in the UK.