The Information message is not an alert message, but indicates that an earthquake has occurred with a magnitude greater than or equal to 5.5 and generally up to 6.0, at sea or in coastal areas, and with a hypocentre depth of less than 100km. The Information message is also issued in the event of earthquakes (at sea or in coastal areas) with a hypocentre depth of more than 100km. The information message indicates that the occurrence of a tsunami is considered unlikely, according to the estimation criteria adopted at international level. However, in the vicinity of the epicentre of the earthquake, small variations in currents and anomalous wave movements may occur, particularly within ports or inlets.
In addition, it should be considered that seismic waves generated by the earthquake could induce secondary phenomena (such as sub-area or underwater landslides) which in turn could trigger a tsunami.
For the definition of the thresholds of the alert levels according to the magnitude, the depth and the distance from the epicentre, see the Decision Matrix table.