2009 L'Aquila earthquake
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| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 6.3 Mw |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Epicenter | 42°25′23″N 13°23′42″E / 42.423°N 13.395°E[1] |
| Areas affected | Abruzzo,  Italy |
| Casualties | 170+ dead[2] 1,500 injured[3] 30,000-40,000 displaced[4] |
The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake was an earthquake of 6.3 moment magnitude that occurred in the central Italian region of Abruzzo on 6 April 2009, following a series of about a hundred minor tremors since January 2009, including a 4.0-magnitude one on 30 March. The majority of the damage occurred in the medieval city of L'Aquila. Over 170 people are known to have died, making this one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit Italy in nearly 30 years.
Cause
42°25′23″N 13°23′42″E / 42.423°N 13.395°E
The earthquake is likely to have been caused by movement in the north-south faultline which runs along the Apennine Mountain Range, although there is a smaller east-west faultline across the centre of the country which is typically associated with minor earthquakes.[5] The faultlines are related to the tectonic movement of the European and African Plates in a tectonically complex system which also includes micro plates such as the Adriatic Plate.[5][1] The earthquake occurred at 01:32 GMT (03:32 CEST local time) at the relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and with an epicentre at 42.423°N, 13.395°E[1] or approximately 90 kilometres (60 mi) north-east of Rome, at the town of Paganica near to the city of L'Aquila.[4] The earthquake was reported to measure 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale.[1]
Historical context
Italy frequently experiences earthquakes but it is uncommon for them to be very deadly; the last major earthquake was the 5.9 magnitude 2002 Molise earthquake which killed more than 25 people and was the deadliest in 20 years.[5] Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, a city built on the bed of an ancient lake, providing a soil structure that appears to amplify the vibrations of earthquakes. The city was stricken by earthquakes in 1315, 1349, 1452, 1501, 1646, 1703, and 1706.[6]
Effects
The earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 10,000 buildings in the medieval city of L'Aquila.[4] Several buildings also collapsed. As many as 100,000 people have been made homeless.[7] More than 100 people were killed by the earthquake, including many children, and around 1,500 people were injured.[4][8] As of 7 April at least 34 people are reported missing and firemen are still extracting people from under the collapsed edifices. The main earthquake was preceded by two smaller earthquakes the previous day.[4] The earthquake was felt as far away as Rome, in other parts of Lazio, as well as Molise, Umbria, and Campania. Schools remained closed in the Abruzzo region. Most of the inhabitants of L'Aquila have abandoned their homes and the city itself; in the city centre of L'Aquila, and the nearby town of Paganica which was also damaged, many streets are impassable due to fallen masonry. The hospital at L'Aquila, where many of the victims were brought, suffered damage in the 4.8 aftershock which followed the main earthquake an hour later. Aftershocks were felt throughout the morning and afternoon of 6 April.
Villages in the valley along Strada Statale 17 Bis just outside l'Aquila suffered the greatest damage. Onna was reported to be mostly leveled with 24 deaths.[9] The villages of Villa Sant'Angelo and Borgo di Castelnuovo were badly damaged.[10] Fatalities were reported in Poggio Picenze, Tormintarte, Fossa, and Totani.[11]
Nearly all medieval monuments in L'Aquila have been damaged. The campanile of the Basilica of Saint Bernardino of Siena, L'Aquila's largest Renaissance church, collapsed and its apse was seriously damaged. The 17th-century church of Anime Sante in Piazza Duomo lost its dome. The Cathedral of L'Aquila was not damaged.[12] The 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio collapsed from the transept to the back of the church and Porta Napoli, the oldest gate to the city, was destroyed in the quake. There were also concerns for the National Museum of Abruzzo, which is housed in the 16th-century castle. The cupola of the 18th-century Baroque church of St Augustine has collapsed, flattening the prefecture that held L'Aquila's state archives.[13] Slight damage was also reported to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, but other Roman monuments such as the Colosseum and Roman Forum were unharmed. [14]
Prior warning controversy
Italian laboratory technician Giampaolo Giuliani was said to have predicted the earthquake, by measurement of radon emitted from the ground. He was dismissed as a scaremonger, and forced to remove his findings from the Internet. He was also reported to police a week ago for "causing fear" among the local population when he predicted an earthquake was imminent in Sulmona, about 50 km (31 mi) from L'Aquila, on 30 March and nothing happened (and in fact the area of Sulmona only suffered very minor damages by the 6 April earthquake).[15] Enzo Boschi, the head of the Italian National Geophysics Institute said "Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it," he said. "As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes."[16] This situation means emergency preparedness is needed to face other shocks.
References
- ^ a b c d "Magnitude 6.3 - CENTRAL ITALY 2009 April 06 01:32:42 UTC". USGS. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Sisma Abruzzo: Oltre 150 morti, sei studenti estratti vivi" (in Italian). ANSA. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Dozens dead in Italian earthquake". CNN International. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ a b c d e "Powerful Italian quake kills many". BBC News. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ a b c "Background: Italy and earthquakes". The Guardian. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "L'Aquila, prov. of L'Aquila, Abruzzo". Abruzzo2000.com. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Italy earthquake toll rises", Al Jazeera English, 7 April 2009 02:03 GMT. Accessed 7 April 2009.
- ^ "Quake: Over 100 dead, 1, 500 injured". ANSA. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ Italian rescuers work into night, BBC, April 6, 2008
- ^ Italy quake kills at least 150, scores saved, Katia Dolmadjian, AFP, April 6, 2008
- ^ Italy in desperate race to save the buried after the earthquake, TImes Online, April 6, 2008
- ^ "EARTHQUAKE: CHURCHES DAMAGED IN L'AQUILA". Agenzia Giornalistica Italia. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Quake: 'Huge' artistic damage". ANSA. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Les Thermes de Caracalla, à Rome, touchés par le séisme". La Presse. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Italy: State of emergency after deadly central quake". Adnkronos International. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Italian earthquake: expert's warnings were dismissed as scaremongering". Daily Telegraph. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
External links