Province of Chieti

Earthquakes in Roccamontepiano

1.8
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km South-East of Roccamorice

9 days ago · 16 Aug, 07:28
Depth 18 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
9
days since the last quake nearby
176
quakes recorded since 2014
~24 days
on average, one quake every
2.7
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North of Roccacasale
21 months ago · 7 Dec, 06:36

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone1
Seismic zone 1

The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

Medium
Expected shaking, compared with the other Italian municipalities (INGV MPS04 model)

Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.174 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Go to Pretoro Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
1
In the area
last 12 months
M2.6
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Roccamontepiano plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Roccamontepiano · 1,792 inhabitants

The seismic history of Roccamontepiano

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Roccamontepiano over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).

  1. 2002IV-V1 November 2002

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 82 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  2. 1997IV14 October 1997

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Valnerina earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 124 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  3. 1997IV26 September 1997

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Appennino umbro-marchigiano earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 133 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  4. 1997IV26 September 1997

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Appennino umbro-marchigiano earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 135 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  5. 1992V-VI18 February 1992

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Chietino earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  6. 1990IV-V5 May 1990

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 215 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  7. 1984VI7 May 1984

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 66 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  8. 1933VI-VII26 September 1933

    Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

    Maiella earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

  9. 1915D13 January 1915

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 57 km away · observed at Roccamontepiano (San Rocco)

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.

17066.8
Maiella earthquake
3 November 1706 · 20 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
14616.5
Aquilano earthquake
27 November 1461 · 49 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
19335.9
Maiella earthquake
26 September 1933 · 20 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
17625.5
Aquilano earthquake
6 October 1762 · 46 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Shallow Abruzzo Citeriore Basal Thrust

The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.6between 3 and 8 km deep

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

August 20261eventmax 1.8
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

9 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.8
4 km South-East of Roccamorice
12 km South · 18 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 07:28
1.7
1 km South-West of Pretoro
7 km South · 35 km
16 months ago
8 May, 01:06
2.4
1 km North-West of Roccamorice
9 km South-West · 8 km
32 months ago
17 Jan, 08:36
2.6
2 km North-West of Scafa
13 km West · 14 km
89 months ago
1 May, 19:00
2.4
2 km North of Abbateggio
9 km South-West · 9 km
128 months ago
20 Feb, 18:56
2.0
4 km West of Abbateggio
14 km South-West · 18 km
129 months ago
10 Jan, 19:50
1.1
3 km West of Alanno
15 km West · 10 km
132 months ago
13 Oct, 17:48
1.9
3 km South-East of Abbateggio
12 km South-West · 28 km
133 months ago
11 Sept, 18:42
1.7
2 km South-West of Alanno
14 km West · 20 km
139 months ago
1 Apr, 11:14

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Roccamontepiano is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 104 towns in the province.
Roccamontepiano0
Nearby towns average0.8

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 · 30g
ISTAT code: 069073

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Roccamontepiano?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Roccamontepiano area: the latest nearby dates back to 9 days ago.

Is Roccamontepiano a seismic area?

Roccamontepiano is classified in seismic zone 1 by the Civil Protection. The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

What was the strongest earthquake near Roccamontepiano?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Roccamontepiano was magnitude 2.7, in 2024.

When was the last quake near Roccamontepiano?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Roccamontepiano was 9 days ago.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

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