40 Years Later: New Perspectives on the 23 November 1980, Ms 6.9, Irpinia-Lucania Earthquake

After more than forty years since the 1980 Irpinia-Lucania earthquake, with this Special Issue "The 23 November 1980 Irpinia-Lucania, Southern Italy Earthquake: Insights and Reviews 40 Years Later" we revisit this milestone geological and seismological event, bringing together the latest views and news on this earthquake, with the aim of improving the dissemination of wide-ranging information on this remarkable case history. This earthquake struck Irpinia-Lucania region (Lucania is also called Basilicata; Southern Italy) on 23 November 1980 (Ms 6.9, Io X MCS) [1,2], and it is remembered in Italy not only for being the strongest earthquake recorded in the last 100 years causing devastation of entire regions and severe loss of human life, but also for the destruction of the cultural heritage in the epicentral area. It was felt throughout Italy, from Sicily in the South, to Emilia Romagna and Liguria in the North (Figure 1) causing damage in over 800 localities spread in the regions of Campania and Basilicata with a total of 75,000 houses destroyed and 275,000 seriously damaged. The number of victims was about 3000