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A strong earthquake has been recorded in Italy. The tremor had a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter Scale, but fortunately the focal depth of 414 km meant that the tremor had no consequences.
The epicenter of the earthquake, considered unusual by Italian seismologists, was off the coast of Campania.
Experts from the Italian state agency INGV explain the geological causes of a seismic event that was felt throughout the Italian peninsula.
Despite its large size, the impact on the area was light. The secret of this deviation lies in the extraordinary depth of the epicenter, an interesting and complex geological phenomenon that reminds us of how "alive" our planet is deep below the surface.
According to experts from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), "on March 10, 2026, at 00:03, Italian time, an earthquake with a magnitude of ML 5.9 occurred off the coast of Campania."
The peculiarity of this event lies not so much in the energy released, but in the location. The INGV specifies that the seismic event occurred "at an extremely great depth, approximately 414 km, well below the usual seismic depths of Italian earthquakes, which occur mainly in the upper crust".
What causes an earthquake at such incredible distances beneath our feet, in a region where such events are rare? The answer lies in the dynamics of tectonic plates, according to meteoweb.
"This deep event, quite rare for this geographical area, can be attributed to a geological process typical of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea due to the presence in the Earth's mantle of a plate of oceanic lithosphere that has been submerged for several million years under the Tyrrhenian Sea," experts say.
Simply put, an ancient piece of ocean floor (plate) slowly sinks into the Earth's hot mantle, creating tensions and friction that, as they build up, are released in the form of violent deep-sea earthquakes.
Although “rarely” on the coast of Campania, this subsidence process is known and “accompanied by frequent seismicity along the coasts of Calabria and Sicily.” The INGV reminds us that the region is no stranger to deep, large-magnitude earthquakes.
But the most striking event that the INGV reports dates back almost a century: “the strongest earthquake at depth that we know of in this area occurred in 1938: estimated magnitude between 6.8 and 7.1! One of the strongest earthquakes in our historical catalog.”
Despite its deep epicenter, the seismic wave of March 10 traveled hundreds of kilometers and was felt in almost all of Italy. INGV confirms that “the preliminary map of macroseismic tremors, continuously updated (at 1:23 a.m. Italian time), resulting from about 130 questionnaires sent to the website “Did you feel the earthquake?” shows tremors up to MCS III–IV level”. This level corresponds to a tremor clearly felt by many people inside buildings, similar to the passage of a heavy truck.
However, INGV reassures: "Fortunately, in these cases, the great depth significantly weakens the seismic waves and therefore reduces their impact on the area."
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