Cause of earthquake that killed 247 people in Italy

The massive earthquake that just struck Italy, killing 247 people, was the result of slow geological stretching, which causes pressure to build up on the Earth's crust.

The scene of devastation after the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Italy. Photo: AP.

According to the US Geological Survey, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred yesterday.Central ItalyThe epicenter was 9.7 km above the ground and was the result of slow stretching of the Apennine mountain belt.

"The Apennine mountain belt that runs along Italy is being slowly stretched in a northeast-southwest direction by tectonic forces at a rate of about three millimetres per year," explains Richard Walters, a lecturer in Earth Sciences at Durham University in the UK. "This slow stretching causes stress to build up in the Earth's crust and is released in the form of earthquakes like the one in Italy."

View of the town of Amatrice in Italy after the earthquake

According to Mirror, the earthquake reflects the fragile state of infrastructure in Italy, both ancient and modern structures such as churches, hospitals and university dormitories in the affected area.

The Apennine Mountains run across Italy. Photo: Wikipedia

"On average, Italy can suffer an earthquake with a magnitude of over 6.3 on the Richter scale every 15 years. This requires seismic prevention measures and protection of the population. The real problem lies in the buildings built before the 1970s, when earthquakes were very rare," said Fabio Tortorici, head of the Italian Geological Institute.

According to VNE