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Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded

Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded Catalonia. 2012
Date Time of origin Northern latitude (1) Southern latitude (1) Depth of focus (km) Magnitude (Richter Scale) County
January
1 22:34 43.300 0.050 W 10 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
6 01:35 42.950 0.080 W 0 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
6 09:45 42.650 2.060 E 3 1.9 Pyréné. Orient.
10 20:00 41.590 2.600 E 8 2.5 Costa Maresme
12 06:00 43.000 0.020 E 0 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
22 10:07 43.050 0.260 W 0 2.5 Pyréné. Atlant.
22 20:05 40.950 1.570 E 12 1.9 Mar Mediter.
22 20:48 43.010 0.150 E 2 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
23 14:23 41.920 2.100 E 14 1.8 Osona
27 20:05 42.920 2.170 E 0 2.0 Aude
February
8 05:40 42.270 3.180 E 3 2.4 Alt Empordà
10 15:51 42.370 1.770 E 3 2.6 Cerdanya
10 16:31 42.370 1.770 E 4 2.7 Cerdanya
11 01:20 42.370 1.770 E 3 2.1 Cerdanya
16 20:23 41.590 2.600 E 6 1.8 Costa Maresme
18 17:36 41.580 2.600 E 4 2.1 Costa Maresme
18 17:42 41.580 2.600 E 5 2.1 Costa Maresme
18 23:36 40.790 1.110 E 20 2.1 Mar Mediter.
19 14:50 41.600 1.710 E 9 2.0 Anoia
22 11:02 43.010 0.250 W 0 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
March
10 16:51 42.380 1.930 E 6 2.3 Cerdanya
15 03:15 43.080 0.060 E 11 2.7 Hautes Pyrén.
16 12:42 41.580 2.600 E 6 1.7 Costa Maresme
April
4 23:06 42.530 1.420 E 6 2.1 Alt Urgell
6 16:15 42.940 0.370 E 9 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
7 14:38 42.360 1.660 E 4 1.7 Cerdanya
8 11:58 40.380 0.740 E 27 3.2 Costa Castellón
8 15:19 40.330 0.820 E 6 1.8 Mar Mediter.
11 21:17 41.580 2.600 E 4 2.9 Costa Maresme
12 04:46 41.580 2.590 E 8 2.1 Costa Maresme
19 17:02 42.590 0.870 E 11 2.6 Alta Ribagorça
22 22:04 42.600 0.870 E 10 2.3 Alta Ribagorça
23 06:17 42.590 0.870 E 10 2.1 Alta Ribagorça
28 15:24 41.840 2.770 E 9 2.5 Selva
May
4 03:00 41.330 1.900 E 7 1.8 Baix Llobregat
9 11:24 42.970 0.300 E 16 2.4 Hautes Pyrén.
11 16:38 40.470 1.770 E 34 2.2 Mar Mediter.
22 08:29 42.380 1.100 E 4 2.9 Pallars Sobirà
22 22:12 42.980 0.160 E 3 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
28 20:55 41.050 1.910 E 9 1.7 Mar Mediter.
June
8 02:34 42.290 2.320 E 5 2.5 Ripollès
11 04:43 42.980 0.280 E 8 2.6 Hautes Pyrén.
27 04:14 42.580 0.230 E 4 2.7 Huesca
29 09:33 42.780 1.250 E 5 2.3 Ariège
30 11:28 42.340 1.130 E 2 1.8 Pallars Sobirà
July
3 21:18 43.030 0.140 E 4 2.3 Hautes Pyrén.
4 16:25 41.000 1.290 E 3 2.0 Costa Tarragonès
9 18:36 42.580 0.210 E 4 1.9 Huesca
13 14:19 41.300 1.760 E 5 2.2 Garraf
25 12:25 43.000 0.190 E 8 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
28 10:18 42.480 1.760 E 3 2.3 Cerdanya
August
2 11:01 42.260 2.120 E 4 1.7 Ripollès
5 13:53 42.520 2.460 E 5 2.1 Pyréné. Orient.
17 11:27 42.580 0.980 E 4 2.3 Pallars Sobirà
31 19:30 42.330 0.610 E 4 1.9 Huesca
September
1 21:47 42.810 2.140 E 5 2.6 Aude
14 22:42 40.830 1.070 E 11 1.7 Costa Baix Ebre
23 19:45 41.730 2.450 E 9 1.7 Vallès Oriental
October
7 10:18 40.800 1.190 E 23 1.9 Mar Mediter.
7 22:31 41.880 3.560 E 25 1.7 Mar Mediter.
13 04:33 43.030 0.200 W 4 3.3 Hautes Pyrén.
15 20:08 43.020 0.140 E 5 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
November
18 11:24 43.020 0.140 W 5 2.4 Hautes Pyrén.
December
2 14:49 43.020 0.020 E 6 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
4 01:12 42.800 2.110 E 5 2.4 Aude
7 13:29 43.060 0.240 W 9 2.3 Pyréné. Atlant.
10 15:28 42.730 2.010 E 5 2.4 Aude
17 15:09 40.640 0.830 E 16 1.8 Costa Montsià
17 22:50 43.100 0.230 W 14 3.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
20 19:13 43.050 0.230 W 3 2.1 Pyréné. Atlant.
30 23:35 43.060 0.230 W 4 4.3 Pyréné. Atlant.
30 23:49 43.040 0.220 W 0 2.4 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 01:43 43.060 0.230 W 4 2.3 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 01:47 43.070 0.220 W 5 2.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 03:24 43.060 0.220 W 4 3.1 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 03:34 43.040 0.230 W 0 2.6 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 05:53 43.050 0.220 W 3 2.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 16:49 43.050 0.230 W 1 2.0 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 18:07 43.070 0.220 W 4 1.8 Pyréné. Atlant.
31 19:32 43.060 0.230 W 4 1.8 Pyréné. Atlant.
Source: Institut Geològic de Catalunya.
Note: (1) in degrees.

Last update: February 8, 2013.

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.