A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck the village of Fornace Zarattini in northern Italy on Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor occurred at approximately 10:17 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers.
The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) recorded the earthquake as magnitude 4.1, highlighting a slight variation between monitoring agencies.
Fornace Zarattini is a small village on the outskirts of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna province of northeastern Italy. Although the region is considered less seismically active than central and southern Apennines, it still experiences earthquakes due to the tectonic collision between the African and Eurasian plates.
The northern Apennines and the Po Valley are affected by compressive and thrust tectonic processes, which generate tremors in Emilia-Romagna.
Ravenna, nearby, is famous for its early Christian monuments, which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city also has historical significance as the seat of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century and later as the center of the Byzantine Exarchate of Italy until the 8th century.
Authorities have not yet reported casualties or significant structural damage, and seismologists are monitoring the area for possible aftershocks.
