Today at 14:53 UTC there was an Mw5.0 earthquake in north Italy according to EMSC. This earthquake had the depth of 60 km according to EMSC. This earthquake was felt in the area. But I have not seen any reports of damage from this earthquake. According to GVP this area of Italy is not volcanic in nature. Next active volcano is considerable distance to the south of this earthquake. This earthquake follows an swarm of earthquakes in this area. It is hard know for sure if this an pattern of something larger, or if this is just an minor earthquakes swarm that is over or is just about to be over.
Location of the earthquake according to EMSC. Copyright of this picture belongs to EMSC.
Local view of the earthquake according to EMSC. This earthquake was below an mountain range that is forming in this area. Copyright of this picture belongs to EMSC.
So far the largest aftershock in this area following this earthquake was an ML3.2 in size. That earthquake took place at 15:32 UTC. This earthquake was also felt in the nearby towns. It is my view that more earthquakes should be expected in the next few hours to days. But it is impossible to know how large and how many earthquakes there are going to be in this area.
I recall last August there was a quake in Corsica which was felt along the south coast of France. This is in a similar area.
The last days’ M5 quakes seem to travel south from Verona. This is my impression, and I think it may bear some geological truth in it, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apennines . Based on this impression, I would not be surprised if there were more quakes in the south (e.g. on the coast, on the sea floor or even in Corsica and Sardinia).
The line-up is easier to see here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/10_45.php