Fear in Parma for yet another earthquake: a seismic swarm that has been affecting the province of Parma for three days, with more than 80 tremors. A few moments ago the earth shook, with a magnitude between 3.8 and 4.3.: for INGV it stood at 4.2. The tremor was also felt on the steps, not only in the areas close to the epicenter but also in the city centre. No damage to people or things has been reported by the Civil Protection: «From the first checks carried out by the Italian Situation Room of the Department in contact with the territory – we read in the note – at the moment there are no reports of damage to people or things».
The earthquake in the province of Parma: magnitude 4.1 shock
The epicenter of the tremors is between the municipalities of Calestano and Langhirano, in the Apennines: in the previous days the two strongest tremors were felt in the afternoon and evening of February 7, with a magnitude of 3.3.
The seismic swarm and the tremors of the last few days
“We are faced with what is currently a seismic swarm, one of the two hundred swarms that on average affect Italy every year”, explained Carlo Doglioni, the national president of INGV, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. Geologists who are studying the seismic swarm note that it is a compressive earthquake mechanism, the same one that caused the devastating earthquakes of 2012 in Emilia. The Parma area, however, is very different, with a much lower population density: «In over 95% of cases these swarms remain such until they are exhausted», concludes President Doglioni.
The mayor of Parma: «Alert sent to citizens»
Thus the mayor of Parma, Michele Guerra: «I am sending this alert to the citizens through the Alert System. In these hours a seismic swarm is occurring in our territory which also affects the Municipality of Parma. At 1.06pm a stronger tremor (4.1) than the others was felt in the city, but it did not cause any damage to property or people. We are monitoring the situation together with the Civil Protection and the bodies responsible for emergencies. We invite you to follow the specific rules of conduct that you find on the Civil Protection website.”
Traffic on the Pontremolese railway line is suspended
Railway traffic was suspended as a precaution from 1.30pm between Fornovo and Borgo Val di Taro, in the Parma area, on the Pontremolese line (Parma-La Spezia), to carry out technical checks following the 4.2 magnitude earthquake. As reported on the Trenitalia website – which is activating a replacement bus service – the intervention of technicians was requested to allow the regular resumption of traffic on the tracks. Following the suspension, Regional trains may experience delays and suffer cancellations or route limitations.