Earthquakes in Ortona
Adriatico Centrale [Mare]
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.108 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Ortona plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Ortona
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Ortona over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2002IV-V1 November 2002
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 77 km away
- 1992V16 July 1992
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chietino earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 14 km away
- 1992IV-V18 February 1992
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chietino earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 15 km away
- 1984V11 May 1984
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 88 km away
- 1984V-VI7 May 1984
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 79 km away
- 1980IV-V23 November 1980
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 183 km away
- 1979IV19 September 1979
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Valnerina earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 124 km away
- 1915V13 January 1915
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 78 km away
- 1895V-VI9 August 1895
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Adriatico centrale earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 58 km away
- 1882VII12 February 1882
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Chietino earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 5 km away
- 1881VI-VII10 September 1881
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Chietino earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 11 km away
- 1627VII30 July 1627
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Capitanata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 104 km away
…and 12 more documented effects in this town's history.
Source: Italian Macroseismic Database DBMI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The great earthquakes in this area's history
Almost a thousand years of catalogues: the strongest documented events within ~50 km.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 12 km from Shallow Abruzzo Citeriore Basal Thrust, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
Faults are mapped to build better and understand the territory: knowing them says nothing about when an earthquake will occur, which remains unpredictable. Source: DISS 3.3 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
Area over time
Earthquake map
2 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Ortona sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Chieti0 events · 30gAbruzzo region74 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Ortona?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ortona area: the latest nearby dates back to 21 months ago.
Is Ortona a seismic area?
Ortona is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
What was the strongest earthquake near Ortona?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ortona was magnitude 2.4, in 2024.
When was the last quake near Ortona?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ortona was 16 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)