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Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded

Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded Catalonia. 2023
Time of origin Northern latitude (1) Southern latitude (1) Depth of focus (km) Magnitude (Richter Scale) County
January
4 7:38 42.761 N 0.833 E 10 2.3 Val d'Aran
26 6:34 43.005 N 0.165 E 9 1.8 Alts Pirineus
February
6 9:24 42.522 N 2.839 E 4 2.0 Pirineus Orientals
6 9:24 42.523 N 2.834 E 4 2.7 Pirineus Orientals
6 9:24 42.514 N 2.855 E 11 2.4 Pirineus Orientals
11 8:11 43.001 N 0.029 W 1 1.7 Alts Pirineus
22 6:03 42.518 N 1.426 E 1 2.3 Alt Urgell
26 21:16 40.748 N 0.135 W 2 2.3 Castelló de la Plana
March
10 11:36 42.858 N 1.144 E 18 2.4 Arieja
14 15:37 41.465 N 1.911 E 5 2.0 Baix Llobregat
18 21:20 43.020 N 0.091 W 5 1.8 Alts Pirineus
26 13:43 41.604 N 2.543 E 7 2.8 Maresme
April
12 2:06 40.819 N 1.186 E 10 2.1 Mar Mediterrània - Balears
17 13:28 42.957 N 0.342 E 5 4.3 Alts Pirineus
19 23:09 42.988 N 0.223 E 0 2.1 Alts Pirineus
25 12:50 42.315 N 1.449 E 1 2.5 Alt Urgell
May
3 20:22 42.300 N 0.747 E 0 2.0 Pallars Jussà
17 16:47 43.054 N 0.329 W 0 2.3 Pirineus Atlàntics
18 18:39 42.310 N 2.181 E 4 2.0 Ripollès
June
11 21:03 41.519 N 3.472 E 19 3.0 Mar Mediterrània - Menorca
20 13:09 42.676 N 2.028 E 10 1.7 Arieja
25 0:10 43.115 N 0.301 W 0 1.9 Pirineus Atlàntics
July
18 4:26 42.816 N 2.157 E 9 1.8 Aude
25 22:13 42.528 N 1.421 E 2 2.1 Alt Urgell
August
2 5:06 42.291 N 1.263 E 0 2.2 Alt Urgell
3 13:22 42.292 N 1.269 E 1 1.8 Alt Urgell
14 13:29 43.042 N 0.262 W 0 2.1 Pirineus Atlàntics
20 20:22 41.877 N 3.939 E 16 3.8 Mar Mediterrània - Golf del Lleó
20 23:11 41.923 N 3.787 E 9 1.8 Mar Mediterrània - Golf del Lleó
21 7:10 41.921 N 3.753 E 7 1.8 Mar Mediterrània - Golf del Lleó
23 19:16 42.820 N 2.164 E 5 1.7 Aude
28 8:24 43.028 N 0.222 W 0 3.2 Alts Pirineus
28 17:42 42.621 N 0.720 E 0 4.2 Val d'Aran
28 19:32 42.623 N 0.720 E 1 2.9 Val d'Aran
28 21:54 42.614 N 0.712 E 0 2.5 Osca
29 5:40 41.505 N 3.738 E 1 1.7 Mar Mediterrània - Menorca
September
9 1:46 42.949 N 0.371 E 7 2.6 Alts Pirineus
14 12:56 42.627 N 0.707 E 2 2.3 Val d'Aran
14 16:02 42.621 N 0.706 E 3 1.7 Osca
17 11:15 41.518 N 2.503 E 5 2.7 Costa del Maresme
21 2:00 42.633 N 0.711 E 2 2.1 Val d'Aran
23 9:50 42.623 N 0.715 E 2 2.2 Val d'Aran
October
24 19:48 41.023 N 1.274 E 0 1.8 Costa del Tarragonès
26 8:32 42.471 N 1.05 E 4 1.7 Pallars Sobirà
November
6 20:18 43.010 N 0.045 W 2 1.9 Alts Pirineus
7 9:39 42.734 N 1.096 E 4 1.8 Pallars Sobirà
7 9:55 42.737 N 1.092 E 3 2.2 Pallars Sobirà
7 13:37 42.631 N 0.707 E 1 1.7 Val d'Aran
8 2:10 42.290 N 1.260 E 0 2.3 Alt Urgell
15 18:22 42.525 N 1.412 E 5 2.1 Alt Urgell
17 8:17 40.534 N 1.560 E 14 2.2 Mar Mediterrània - Balears
December
10 1:38 42.699 N 2.838 E 1 2.0 Pirineus Orientals
14 10:43 42.617 N 0.706 E 1 1.9 Osca
20 2:21 42.757 N 0.506 E 2 2.8 Alta Garona
20 23:24 42.319 N 1.589 E 5 3.4 Alt Urgell
21 1:06 42.327 N 1.591 E 4 1.9 Alt Urgell
21 1:20 42.316 N 1.590 E 1 2.9 Alt Urgell
21 1:20 42.322 N 1.591 E 1 1.9 Alt Urgell
21 3:15 42.327 N 1.592 E 4 1.7 Alt Urgell
21 6:32 42.319 N 1.592 E 1 2.8 Alt Urgell
21 6:36 42.316 N 1.590 E 2 1.7 Alt Urgell
21 6:58 42.323 N 1.589 E 4 3.2 Alt Urgell
21 7:06 42.319 N 1.584 E 2 1.8 Alt Urgell
21 8:04 42.328 N 1.582 E 4 1.7 Alt Urgell
21 9:11 42.319 N 1.595 E 2 2.6 Alt Urgell
21 10:04 42.323 N 1.591 E 4 1.8 Alt Urgell
21 11:20 42.320 N 1.592 E 2 2.3 Alt Urgell
22 8:36 42.339 N 1.583 E 4 1.8 Alt Urgell
23 9:49 42.311 N 1.597 E 0 2.0 Alt Urgell
23 22:05 42.316 N 1.596 E 0 1.7 Alt Urgell
23 22:25 42.314 N 1.591 E 0 2.0 Alt Urgell
30 9:45 40.416 N 0.129 W 0 2.0 Castelló de la Plana
Source: Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya.
Note: (1) in degrees.

Last update: February 16, 2024.

Methodological note

Definition of concepts

Magnitude of an earthquake
Instrumental measure of its force. It is related with the energy transported by seismic waves. It is expressed in decimal figures in accordance with the Richter scale, whose highest value is 9.
Profundity of the focus of the earthquake
Distance from the point where the earthquake originated and the epicentre or point of vertical projection over the surface of the Earth. It is expressed in kilometres.
Earthquake
Set of shockwaves generated from a point within the Earth, called its focus or hypocentre, as result of which there is a sudden release of energy produced by a brusque movement between blocks of the crust and the mantle of the Earth. They are defined by the following: magnitude and depth of the focus.

Methodological aspects

The Western Mediterranean is located in a collusion zone between the European and African tectonic plates.

The Seismology Service was created in 1981 to study in detail the seismic activity in the territory, to monitor it closely, and to determine and characterise the seismic zones.

Since 1984, hypocentral determinations have been conducted in consideration of the Service's own data and that of other bodies: the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory, the Institute of Catalan Studies, the National Geographic Institute, the Ebro Observatory, the Fabra Observatory and the Detection and Geophysical Laboratory. Information on seismic activity in Catalonia and its neighbouring regions is released annually in the Seismic Bulletin published by the Geological Institute of Catalonia.

The criterion was to select all the seismic movements those that had an epicentre within the Catalan territory and were of a magnitude equal to or higher than 1.7 on the Richter scale.

Provisional data.