Pisa Tower. Photo: Shutterstock A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck near Pisa, Italy, on Tuesday morning, August 4, shaking communities across Tuscany, according to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
The earthquake occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time (08:15 UTC) with its epicenter located 7 kilometers west of Pisa at a depth of 8 kilometers, making it a relatively shallow event that was felt across a wide area.
INGV said the earthquake was located by its Rome Seismic Room and noted that the reported magnitude and location represent the best current estimate based on available data. The agency added that additional analysis could slightly revise these figures.
Residents across several Tuscan cities reported feeling the tremor, including Pisa, Livorno, Viareggio, Lucca, and even parts of Florence, according to the areas listed by INGV within the felt zone.
The closest municipality to the epicenter was Pisa, home to around 89,000 residents, followed by Vecchiano, San Giuliano Terme, Livorno, Calci, Collesalvetti, Cascina, and Massarosa. Within a 20-kilometer radius of the epicenter, the affected area has a combined population of more than 380,000 people.
Among the larger nearby cities, the earthquake was recorded approximately 16 kilometers north of Livorno, 20 kilometers southeast of Viareggio, 22 kilometers southwest of Lucca, and 75 kilometers west of Florence.
Italy is one of Europe's most seismically active countries due to the ongoing interaction between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Earthquakes of this magnitude are capable of producing noticeable shaking, particularly when they occur at shallow depths, although impacts vary depending on local ground conditions and proximity to the epicenter.