An earthquake registering 4.1 on the Richter scale was recorded early on Tuesday morning to the north of Barcelonnette in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It was felt as far south as the Roya Valley above Monaco. 

At 8.24am on Tuesday 16th May, as many were on their way to work or dropping their children at school, an earthquake rumbled five kilometres down beneath the village of Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, close to the Italian border and home to some 180 inhabitants.  

Though mild, at a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was felt as far to the south as the Roya Valley, which sits just above Menton and to the northeast of Monaco.  

Earthquakes between 4 and 4.9 on the Richter scale are classed as “light”. They are easily felt by those in the region of the quake, but don’t tend to cause any significant damage to infrastructure or threat to life.  

Previous to Tuesday’s tremor, the last earthquake in the area was recorded by the Bureau Central Sismologique Français on Christmas Day in 2022. That event was considerably weaker, at just 1.9 on the Richter scale.  

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

Photo source: Ubaye – Vallée de Barcelonnette / Facebook