'Very small' earthquake detected near Malta last week

The Seismic Research Unit of the Physics Department, University of Malta has thanked all those persons who responded to its call to fill in the online questionnaire regarding the earthquake of the 6^th January 2008.

The Unit said it received over 350 replies from most areas of Malta and Gozo, from which it could be concluded that the earthquake produced intensity IV on the EMS98 (European Macroseismic Scale). The EMS98 intensity scale, which goes from I to XII, describes, according to a detailed set of benchmarks, the strength with which an earthquake is perceived at a particular site, and is different from the magnitude scale, which calculates the size of the earthquake process itself.

The Unit said it also located another earthquake on January 16 at 6:04 am, this time much closer (about 10km north of Valletta), but of a very small magnitude (1.5). This earthquake was felt by at least one Marsascala resident, who sent in the report.

Readers may report their experience of any earthquake by logging on to www.phys.um.edu.mt/seismic.