Earthquakes in L'Aquila

L'Aquila, in Italy's central Abruzzo region, carries a high seismic risk as it sits in the axis of the Apennine mountains where the crust is being pulled apart by extensional tectonics. A network of normal faults, including the Paganica fault that ruptured in 2009, crosses the mountain valleys around the medieval city, which itself rests partly on soft lake-bed sediments that amplify shaking. The area has a long history of destructive earthquakes stretching back centuries, notably a devastating event in 1703 that killed thousands.

The modern disaster struck on 6 April 2009, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake at shallow depth that hit at 3:32 in the morning and killed 309 people, injured more than 1,500, and left tens of thousands homeless as the historic centre and surrounding villages collapsed. The event became internationally known not only for its toll but for the subsequent trial of members of Italy's National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, who were accused of giving falsely reassuring statements before the quake; their manslaughter convictions were later largely overturned on appeal. Reconstruction of L'Aquila has taken well over a decade, and the earthquake reshaped debates about risk communication in seismically active Italy.