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3.7 magnitude earthquake south-east of Rome

By: Wanted in Rome

Date:

24 Jun, 2019

Earthquake felt clearly by many Rome residents.

A 3.7-magnitude earthquake was registered in Rome's Castelli Romani area, about 20 kilometres south-east of the capital, at 22.43 on 23 June.

The earthquake's epicentre was near Colonna, a town of around 4,000 residents, and it occurred at a depth of nine kilometres according to the Rome-based National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The tremor was felt clearly by many residents in Rome, however there are no reports of injuries or structural damage.

The earthquake was relatively light, particularly in comparison to the 6.2-magnitude quake that devastated the Lazio town of Amatrice in 2016, causing 298 deaths.

The Castelli Romani area is known for frequent seismic activity but historically it is not associated with earthquakes of high magnitude, seismologist Carlo Meletti from INGV told Italian news agency ANSA.

The area's strongest documented earthquake dates back to 1806, with an estimated magnitude of 5.6.