Earthquakes in the Tyrrhenian Sea: how and why they occur

Between October 20 and 24, a series of seismic events struck the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, with the strongest quake of magnitude 5.0 occurring on October 23. Residents of the Aeolian Islands and northern Sicily felt the tremors most intensely, while the rest of Sicily and Calabria experienced lighter effects. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported that this earthquake was one of the strongest in the area in 46 years. The seismic activity is attributed to crustal movements caused by the continuous northward motion of the African plate against the Eurasian plate. Meanwhile, the Campi Flegrei area recorded minor tremors, highlighting its volcanic risk. INGV reassured that Italian volcanoes are among the best monitored globally, allowing for effective alert measures.