Province of L'Aquila

Earthquakes in Molina Aterno

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

3 km South-West of Capestrano

17 days ago · 8 Aug, 07:44
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
9
days since the last quake nearby
1,242
quakes recorded since 2014
~3 days
on average, one quake every
4.1
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North of Trasacco
140 months ago · 28 Feb, 04:16

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.

High
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 = 0.260 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
1
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
16
In the area
last 12 months
M3.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Molina Aterno plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 52 months ago · 419 inhabitants

The seismic history of Molina Aterno

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

  1. 2009V-VI6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 26 km away

  2. 2004NF9 December 2004

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Teramano earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 71 km away

  3. 2003NF1 June 2003

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Molise earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 105 km away

  4. 2002III1 November 2002

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 102 km away

  5. 1998NF15 August 1998

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Reatino earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 61 km away

  6. 1997IV14 October 1997

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

    Valnerina earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 108 km away

  7. 1997V26 September 1997

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

    Appennino umbro-marchigiano earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 119 km away

  8. 1997IV26 September 1997

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

    Appennino umbro-marchigiano earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 120 km away

  9. 1991NF5 May 1991

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Aquilano earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 12 km away

  10. 1989NF14 September 1989

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Aquilano earthquake (M3.5), epicentre 18 km away

  11. 1958V24 June 1958

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 27 km away

  12. 1915D13 January 1915

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

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 23 km away

…and 5 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.

19157.1
Marsica earthquake
13 January 1915 · 23 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17066.8
Maiella earthquake
3 November 1706 · 29 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17036.7
Aquilano earthquake
2 February 1703 · 48 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
14616.5
Aquilano earthquake
27 November 1461 · 24 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Barisciano-Sulmona

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 1 and 14 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 1.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
3 km South-West of Capestrano
11 km North-East · 11 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 07:44
1.8
4 km East of Pratola Peligna
18 km East · 11 km
2 months ago
3 Jul, 12:34
1.4
4 km East of Pratola Peligna
18 km East · 10 km
2 months ago
2 Jul, 22:23
1.2
2 km South-East of Collarmele
14 km South-West · 8 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 23:52
1.2
3 months ago
30 May, 21:55
0.9
2 km North-East of Raiano
8 km South-East · 19 km
3 months ago
27 May, 14:37
1.7
1 km North of Corfinio
9 km East · 40 km
4 months ago
4 May, 07:07
1.5
3 km South of Secinaro
8 km West · 14 km
5 months ago
26 Mar, 02:21
1.0
6 months ago
13 Mar, 18:06
1.4
3 km South-West of Caporciano
11 km North-West · 10 km
6 months ago
28 Feb, 12:16

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

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

quietermore active
More epicentres than 5% of the 108 towns in the province.
Molina Aterno1
Nearby towns average12

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of L'Aquila48 events · 30gAbruzzo region76 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 066055

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Molina Aterno?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Molina Aterno area: the latest nearby dates back to 17 days ago.

Is Molina Aterno a seismic area?

Molina Aterno 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 Molina Aterno?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Molina Aterno was magnitude 4.1, in 2015.

When was the last quake near Molina Aterno?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Molina Aterno 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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