Earthquake in USA, magnitude 5.3 in Nikolsky, all details « 3B Meteo

A shock Earthquake It occurred at a magnitude of about 5.3 01:00 (05:13 in Italy) Centered near Nikolsky, USA. The estimated depth was approx 5 km. You can track all tremors in Italy and major earthquakes in the world in our special earthquakes section.

Earthquake data Updated regularly Collaborative Research Centre, European Commission thanks to: GDACS

Why do earthquakes occur and what does it depend on? Earthquakes are the most violent manifestations of nature, resulting from complex kinetic dynamics that mainly involve the outermost part of our planet, the crust. The crust is divided into several plates, or plates fitted together like a puzzle, with at least seven large ones and a dozen smaller ones. These plates of crust rest on a plastically behaving partially molten lower layer called the mantle, which slowly moves over time, being dragged along as if on a treadmill of sorts. The edges of the plates are subjected to enormous stresses, which cause the rock to crack and fracture into large fractures called faults. Activation of faults produces earthquakes, which can be shallow (and cause more damage) or deep (over 50-70 km). Earthquakes can occur far away from plate boundaries, for example in volcanic regions.

Follow @3BMeteo on Twitter