Another earthquake has shaken the Italian peninsula today. The 7.1 scale terramoto was centered in the town of Norcia, in the south central region north of Rome, about 40 miles SE of Perugia. Initial reports do not include any deaths resulting from the shaker. This is the 3rd significant seismic event in the past 2 months. Locals are understandably nervous and anxious about the situation. Will there be more is the question on their minds.
Italy is a known location of continuous seismic activity do to its position astride tectonic plate fault lines. For centuries, the landscape has been continuously altered as the African Plate moves north and is subducted under the European Plate.
In 1908, another significant quake occurred in the Strait of Messina separating Sicily from the mainland. As many as 200,000 people died. The death toll could have been higher, but international relief aided the affected area providing medical treatment, food, and shelter to the local citizenry.
Loose building codes also were a contributing factor to the destructive results.
In Norcia, not far from L'Aquila, destruction is severe with many ancient churches and monasteries destroyed.
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