Province of L'Aquila

Earthquakes in Ortona dei Marsi

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km South-East of Pettorano sul Gizio

11 days ago · 13 Aug, 21:41
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
10
days since the last quake nearby
2,264
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 days
on average, one quake every
4.4
The strongest within 30 km
2 km South-East of Balsorano
83 months ago · 7 Nov, 18:35

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 = 0.261 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
32
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
25
In the area
last 12 months
M3.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Ortona dei Marsi plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 37 months ago · 592 inhabitants

The seismic history of Ortona dei Marsi

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Ortona dei Marsi 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 42 km away · observed at Villa Santa Maria

  2. 2009V6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 42 km away

  3. 2000IV25 October 2000

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

    Marsica earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 15 km away

  4. 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 43 km away

  5. 1980IV-V14 June 1980

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

    Marsica earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 10 km away

  6. 1958V24 June 1958

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 43 km away

  7. 1933VI26 September 1933

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

    Maiella earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 30 km away

  8. 1915X-XI13 January 1915

    Catastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Aschi Alto

  9. 1915IX-X13 January 1915

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Casali Santa Maria Maddalena

  10. 1915VIII-IX13 January 1915

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Carrito

  11. 1915VIII13 January 1915

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 19 km away

  12. 1915VII-VIII13 January 1915

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Villa Santa Maria

…and 16 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 · 19 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.
14616.5
Aquilano earthquake
27 November 1461 · 40 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16546.3
Sorano earthquake
24 July 1654 · 39 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

Borbona-L'Aquila-Aremogna

The town lies about 1 km from Borbona-L'Aquila-Aremogna, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 2 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 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
11 days ago
13 Aug, 21:41
0.8
1 month ago
17 Jul, 02:47
1.6
7 km West of Aielli
23 km West · 10 km
2 months ago
24 Jun, 20:14
1.3
5 km West of Aielli
20 km West · 9 km
2 months ago
24 Jun, 20:12
1.2
2 km North-West of Gioia dei Marsi
7 km South-West · 9 km
2 months ago
22 Jun, 20:00
1.7
2 months ago
14 Jun, 15:54
1.4
4 km East of Villalago
11 km South-East · 10 km
3 months ago
8 Jun, 16:05
1.2
2 km South-East of Collarmele
10 km North-West · 8 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 23:52
0.9
2 km North-East of Raiano
16 km North-East · 19 km
3 months ago
27 May, 14:37
0.8
7 km South-West of Aielli
20 km West · 10 km
5 months ago
11 Apr, 19:37

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Ortona dei Marsi records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 67% of the 108 towns in the province.
Ortona dei Marsi32
Nearby towns average28

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: 066063

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Ortona dei Marsi?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ortona dei Marsi area: the latest nearby dates back to 11 days ago.

Is Ortona dei Marsi a seismic area?

Ortona dei Marsi 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 Ortona dei Marsi?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ortona dei Marsi was magnitude 4.4, in 2019.

When was the last quake near Ortona dei Marsi?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ortona dei Marsi was 10 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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