Province of L'Aquila

Earthquakes in Pacentro

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
868
quakes recorded since 2014
~5 days
on average, one quake every
3.2
The strongest within 30 km
5 km West of Cocullo
55 months ago · 26 Feb, 09:46

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 = 0.249 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
24
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
12
In the area
last 12 months
M3.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Pacentro plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 5 months ago · 1,211 inhabitants

The seismic history of Pacentro

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

  1. 2009V6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 51 km away

  2. 2002IV1 November 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 76 km away

  3. 2000IV-V25 October 2000

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

    Marsica earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 31 km away

  4. 1984VI11 May 1984

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

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 48 km away

  5. 1984VI7 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

  6. 1980IV23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 171 km away

  7. 1980V14 June 1980

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

    Marsica earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 32 km away

  8. 1980IV-V9 June 1980

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 29 km away

  9. 1950V5 September 1950

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

    Gran Sasso earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 72 km away

  10. 1933VI-VII26 September 1933

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

    Maiella earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 6 km away

  11. 1915D13 January 1915

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

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 41 km away

  12. 1706VIII3 November 1706

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

    Maiella earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 5 km away

…and 8 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 · 41 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17066.8
Maiella earthquake
3 November 1706 · 5 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 · 6 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

Deep Abruzzo Citeriore Basal Thrust

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.5between 8 and 18 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 20262eventsmax 1.8
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.8
4 km South-East of Roccamorice
12 km North-East · 18 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 07:28
1.5
12 days ago
13 Aug, 21:41
1.8
2 months ago
3 Jul, 12:34
1.4
2 months ago
2 Jul, 22:23
1.7
1 km North of Corfinio
18 km North-West · 40 km
4 months ago
4 May, 07:07
1.4
5 km West of Pacentro
5 km West · 8 km
5 months ago
16 Mar, 12:16
2.5
3 km South-West of Prezza
17 km West · 8 km
7 months ago
22 Jan, 00:59
1.2
3 km South-East of Rocca Pia
20 km South · 19 km
8 months ago
28 Dec, 20:09
1.6
4 km North of Pettorano sul Gizio
9 km South-West · 15 km
9 months ago
20 Nov, 09:19
1.2
5 km South-West of Taranta Peligna
8 km South-East · 11 km
11 months ago
12 Oct, 02:26

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Pacentro records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 60% of the 108 towns in the province.
Pacentro24
Nearby towns average33

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: 066066

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Pacentro?

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

Is Pacentro a seismic area?

Pacentro 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 Pacentro?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Pacentro was magnitude 3.2, in 2022.

When was the last quake near Pacentro?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Pacentro 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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