Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: rosalind dna on 07/04/2009 23:48:49

Title: Where are the main earthquake faults in Italy?
Post by: rosalind dna on 07/04/2009 23:48:49

Where are the main earthquake faults in Italy like the cause/reason for the
most reason one that started yesterday 6th April 09.

After all it's not the first quake in that South European country, last one
was in Assissi I think about 12 years ago.

Like there is one somewhere that will cause
the Mount Vesuvius to explode again one day and all of Naples will die then.

Can anyone help thanks, Rosalind

Title: Where are the main earthquake faults in Italy?
Post by: Bass on 08/04/2009 00:22:42

The short answer is that Italy is in an active tectonic belt- it is being shoved into the Eurasian plate by the African continental plate (also the reason for the Alps).  The central Apennines that run up the spine of Italy are host to NW-SE trending thrust faults (pushing the upper side of the fault block over on top of the lower side) and more recent extensional normal faults.

Map showing historic seismicity in the region will shows that this is an active tectonic area.

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Source:
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_fdcb_h.html

Will add more when I have time