The ~7.1 Mw  earthquake had an epicenter in the Adriatic and Ionian seas, off the coast of modern-day Lecce and Brindisi provinces in Salento.

The tectonics of southern Italy is highly influenced by the subduction of the Ionian Sea oceanic crust along the Calabrian Arc in the southwest of the peninsula.

This region of the Mediterranean Sea forms part of the complex convergent boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, where it is broken up into smaller microplates moving independently.

While the Gargano area experiences frequent earthquakes greater than 6.0 Mw , the Salento peninsula only sees moderate-sized quakes.

Several researchers have placed the epicenter on land on the basis of heavy damage in Nardò, as well as of reported seismic intensities.

[3] The discovery of an active fault zone off the coast of Salento supports the hypothesis of an offshore location.

[4] Based on the distribution of its intensity, as well as a geological survey of the region, it was concluded that the event occurred on a northwest–southeast striking reverse fault at depths of 30–40 km.

[6] Based on the study of boulders along the southern coast of the Strait of Otranto, it was determined that the tsunami had a run-up of 11 meters.