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Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded

Seismology. Main earthquakes recorded Catalonia. 2010
Date Time of origin Northern latitude (1) Southern latitude (1) Depth of focus (km) Magnitude (Richter Scale) County
January
4 17:21 42.900 N 0.320 E 10 1.8 Hautes Pyrén.
10 08:50 42.650 N 0.810 E 5 2.1 Val d'Aran
13 12:53 41.790 N 1.690 E 2 1.9 Bages
23 00:47 41.000 N 1.300 E 0 2.1 Costa Tarrag.
23 15:23 40.950 N 1.680 E 4 2.4 Mar Mediter.
26 20:59 42.720 N 1.990 E 6 1.7 Ariège
27 14:18 41.690 N 2.570 E 3 1.8 Vallès Oriental
27 15:38 41.720 N 2.570 E 3 1.9 Vallès Oriental
February
6 12:00 42.740 N 2.070 E 9 2.0 Aude
24 21:21 42.260 N 2.320 E 6 2.6 Ripollès
26 00:53 43.110 N 0.180 W 7 2.1 Pyréné. Atlant.
March
4 12:36 43.010 N 0.250 E 7 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
8 03:09 43.110 N 0.050 W 7 1.8 Hautes Pyrén.
18 07:11 43.070 N 0.050 W 12 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
27 06:28 40.580 N 0.080 E 5 2.3 Castellón
April
1 01:36 42.980 N 0.290 E 9 4.2 Hautes Pyrén.
11 15:08 43.070 N 0.540 E 7 2.4 Hautes Pyrén.
16 16:51 41.780 N 2.710 E 2 1.8 Selva
24 11:17 43.060 N 2.480 E 0 1.7 Aude
27 05:58 42.710 N 0.120 E 0 2.2 Hautes Pyrén.
28 02:43 40.920 N 0.080 E 3 1.8 Teruel
May
24 01:55 41.330 N 1.480 E 2 2.0 Baix Penedès
25 10:44 41.350 N 1.480 E 7 1.9 Baix Penedès
June
3 05:40 42.850 N 1.140 E 7 2.3 Ariège
11 02:54 42.440 N 0.960 E 8 1.9 Pallars Jussà
19 08:33 43.030 N 0.190 E 7 2.3 Hautes Pyrén.
July
1 03:43 43.050 N 0.240 E 17 1.7 Hautes Pyrén.
12 18:13 42.770 N 1.590 E 4 2.0 Ariège
28 05:42 43.010 N 0.160 W 11 2.2 Hautes Pyrén.
August
16 23:59 43.040 N 0.140 E 7 1.9 Hautes Pyrén.
22 07:23 43.090 N 0.090 W 12 1.8 Hautes Pyrén.
September
3 01:35 42.950 N 2.160 E 6 1.9 Aude
8 04:30 43.080 N 0.100 W 6 2.0 Hautes Pyrén.
8 20:20 43.070 N 0.030 E 3 2.7 Hautes Pyrén.
12 04:07 42.890 N 0.270 E 3 3.3 Hautes Pyrén.
12 12:45 43.060 N 0.310 W 3 3.1 Pyréné. Atlant.
19 20:00 42.250 N 1.700 E 0 2.1 Berguedà
October
4 16:57 42.740 N 1.080 E 3 2.6 Pallars Sobirà
5 15:39 42.510 N 2.120 E 2 1.8 Pyréné. Orient.
5 15:45 42.510 N 2.120 E 3 2.2 Pyréné. Orient.
10 13:19 42.230 N 1.700 E 0 2.2 Berguedà
23 12:41 42.550 N 1.230 E 10 2.1 Pallars Sobirà
28 22:12 42.470 N 2.200 E 8 2.0 Pyréné. Orient.
November
14 22:05 43.170 N 0.200 W 9 3.2 Pyréné. Atlant.
14 22:14 43.100 N 0.200 W 11 3.7 Pyréné. Atlant.
14 22:20 43.080 N 0.200 W 2 3.3 Pyréné. Atlant.
14 23:19 43.080 N 0.210 W 6 3.0 Pyréné. Atlant.
27 04:43 43.080 N 0.230 W 5 1.9 Pyréné. Atlant.
29 13:11 42.540 N 1.020 E 11 2.0 Pallars Jussà
December
19 06:08 41.860 N 2.800 E 2 3.7 Selva
19 06:18 41.860 N 2.810 E 3 1.9 Selva
22 17:24 43.120 N 0.250 W 8 3.5 Pyréné. Atlant.
27 17:01 41.890 N 2.870 E 12 2.4 Gironès
Source: Institut Geològic de Catalunya.
Note: (1) in degrees.

Last update: February 9, 2011.

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.