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Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded

Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded Catalonia. 2008
Date Time of origin Northern latitude (1) Southern latitude (1) Depth of focus (km) Magnitude (Richter Scale) County
January
3 04:18 40.730 0.460 0 2.1 Montsià
11 13:40 42.370 1.250 7 2.3 Alt Urgell
13 00:00 42.230 1.040 0 2.0 Pallars Jussà
15 15:49 42.570 0.950 0 1.8 Alta Ribagorça
18 12:06 43.250 -0.200 8 2.0 Pyréné. Atlant.
19 14:00 41.660 2.590 9 2.3 Maresme
26 13:44 41.280 0.880 7 1.8 Priorat
February
6 22:12 42.920 0.320 0 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
15 07:34 42.340 0.550 0 3.5 Huesca
22 03:27 41.880 2.910 7 2.5 Gironès
22 03:27 41.850 2.910 8 2.9 Gironès
23 06:11 42.230 1.040 0 2.2 Pallars Jussà
March
14 02:48 41.250 1.010 4 2.1 Baix Camp
16 19:30 42.660 0.830 1 2.4 Val d'Aran
18 20:05 43.010 -0.330 0 2.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
28 12:51 42.320 2.130 4 2.0 Ripollès
28 16:03 42.320 2.140 3 1.8 Ripollès
April
13 06:25 43.020 0.150 1 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
20 04:03 42.880 0.230 0 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
May
3 12:14 43.000 0.240 3 3.7 Hautes Pyrén.
10 06:30 40.870 1.380 19 1.7 Mar Mediter.
14 18:26 43.040 -0.260 3 2.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
16 17:51 41.810 2.840 7 2.2 Selva
18 01:57 42.970 -0.130 0 4.2 Hautes Pyrén.
18 14:49 42.650 0.630 0 2.9 Huesca
June
6 09:56 42.550 0.430 7 1.7 Huesca
17 15:29 41.570 1.940 7 2.2 Vallès Oc.
17 20:31 41.020 1.320 6 2.4 Costa Tarrag.
22 18:48 41.860 2.590 4 3.1 Selva
24 06:04 41.860 2.590 6 1.9 Selva
25 15:31 42.970 0.020 0 2.9 Hautes Pyrén.
30 08:50 41.860 2.590 4 1.9 Selva
July
10 00:32 42.980 0.000 0 1.8 Hautes Pyrén.
10 20:19 43.040 -0.050 0 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
14 03:15 43.020 -0.010 0 2.1 Hautes Pyrén.
15 06:23 42.500 1.040 10 2.1 Pallars Jussà
19 23:31 43.000 0.210 0 2.1 Hautes Pyrén.
21 00:00 43.000 -0.010 3 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
21 18:59 41.870 2.590 3 2.6 Selva
22 22:36 41.860 2.590 4 3.8 Selva
22 22:38 41.870 2.590 4 2.4 Selva
23 00:27 41.860 2.590 4 2.4 Selva
23 03:39 41.870 2.590 4 2.4 Selva
23 06:51 41.870 2.600 3 1.9 Selva
23 08:58 41.860 2.590 4 2.3 Selva
24 02:28 41.860 2.590 4 1.8 Selva
24 09:45 43.030 -0.260 0 2.3 Pyréné. Atlant.
August
1 19:57 43.010 -0.080 0 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
16 10:21 41.410 3.070 18 3.8 Mar Mediter.
21 11:10 42.590 0.900 4 2.0 Alta Ribagorça
27 23:41 42.850 2.100 6 2.2 Aude
28 11:23 42.970 0.000 0 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
31 01:55 43.010 -0.020 0 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
September
18 12:55 42.940 -0.320 0 3.7 Pyréné. Atlant.
30 23:32 41.830 2.790 10 1.7 Selva
October
November
December
7 20:32 43.020 0.030 0 2.6 Hautes Pyrén.
9 20:59 41.570 1.770 4 1.7 Anoia
18 14:43 42.670 0.910 4 1.7 Val d'Aran
23 11:02 41.860 2.590 3 1.8 Selva
23 18:09 41.800 2.710 3 1.7 Selva
29 09:35 42.490 1.810 9 1.7 Pyrénées Orient.
31 23:37 40.440 -0.140 7 1.8 Castelló
Source: Institut Geològic de Catalunya.
Note: (1) in degrees.

Last update: June 18, 2009.

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.