Earthquakes in Vasto
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 = 0.084 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Vasto plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Vasto
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Vasto over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2002V1 November 2002
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 43 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 73 km away
- 1980V23 November 1980
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 150 km away
- 1962V21 August 1962
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 101 km away
- 1933V-VI26 September 1933
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Maiella earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 51 km away
- 1915V13 January 1915
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 98 km away
- 1895VI9 August 1895
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Adriatico centrale earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 54 km away
- 1881V10 September 1881
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chietino earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 33 km away
- 1822VII-VIII16 March 1822
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Vasto earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 0 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 68 km away
- 1456VI5 December 1456
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 91 km away
…and 28 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 5 km from Tocco Casauria-Tremiti, 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
23 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Vasto 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 region76 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Vasto?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Vasto area: the latest nearby dates back to 28 months ago.
Is Vasto a seismic area?
Vasto 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 Vasto?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Vasto was magnitude 5.1, in 2018.
When was the last quake near Vasto?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Vasto was 7 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)