The last people to get this close had to be evacuated.

From earthquakes and volcanoes to hurricanes and tornadoes, nature's forces have shaped our dynamic planet. Throughout history, these catastrophic phenomena have affected people around the world. Now, uncover the causes of these natural disasters and find out how people cope and adapt in the aftermath. In this captivating, interactive new exhibition all of nature's power is on display at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Nature Right Now

6.3 Earthquake Hits Italy

April 6, 2009

L’Aquila—At 3:32 am on Monday (7:32 pm Sunday in Denver) a strong earthquake struck the mountainous central part of Italy about 70 miles northeast of Rome. The quake, centered on the medieval village of L’Aquila, is believed to have killed at least 90 people, burying them under collapsed ancient stone buildings.  More than 1,500 were injured and many thousands more may now be homeless. The quake also struck 26 towns around L’Aquila, hitting  two small villages, Castelnuovo and Onno, especially hard. Onno was turned into a pile of rubble. In L’Aquila, only a few houses still stood. Fortunately, the timing meant that schools and office buildings were empty. The magnitude 6.3 earthquake is Italy’s deadliest in three decades, although the Italian peninsula registers more than 2,000 smaller tremors each year.

Predicting Earthquakes

Curator Commentary by David Grinspoon, PhD

Central Italy’s mountainous spine, site of this week’s earthquake, is on the boundary between the Eurasian tectonic plate and the African tectonic plate, which is slamming into it. A jumble of smaller plates adds to the complex geologic picture of the region. Italy has frequent quakes (and large volcanic eruptions!) as the plates and fault blocks jostle around. They go in clusters, too. When one fault moves, it sets off a series of quakes as other faults adjust to the new situation. 

This cluster phenomenon may be the key to predicting future quakes. Scientists from around the world will be examining the record and watching for new events to learn more about how the plates that carry Italy react to this latest bump.

The central Italy region had been experiencing tremors since January. At least one scientist predicted this quake—just missed the exact day by one.

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