Province of L'Aquila

Earthquakes in Rocca di Mezzo

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

6 km South-East of Massa d'Albe

10 days ago · 15 Aug, 05:50
Depth 15 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
10
days since the last quake nearby
2,187
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 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
75
In the town
total on record
3
In the town
last 12 months
54
In the area
last 12 months
M3.8
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Rocca di Mezzo plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 29 days ago · 1,468 inhabitants

The seismic history of Rocca di Mezzo

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

  1. 2009VI6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 12 km away · observed at Rovere

  2. 2009VI6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 12 km away

  3. 2009VI6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 12 km away · observed at Fonteavignone

  4. 2009V-VI6 April 2009

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 12 km away · observed at Terranera

  5. 1985V20 May 1985

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 16 km away

  6. 1984V7 May 1984

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

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 75 km away

  7. 1980V9 June 1980

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

    Aquilano earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 18 km away

  8. 1979V19 September 1979

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

    Valnerina earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 74 km away

  9. 1950V-VI5 September 1950

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

    Gran Sasso earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 39 km away

  10. 1915VII-VIII13 January 1915

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

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 21 km away

  11. 1915VI-VII13 January 1915

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

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 21 km away · observed at Rovere

  12. 1915D13 January 1915

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

    Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 21 km away · observed at Terranera

…and 29 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 · 21 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17036.7
Aquilano earthquake
2 February 1703 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
14616.5
Aquilano earthquake
27 November 1461 · 13 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
20096.3
Aquilano earthquake
6 April 2009 · 12 km from here
IX-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 sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

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 20263eventsmax 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
10 days ago
15 Aug, 05:50
0.7
5 km North-West of Ovindoli
5 km South-West · 15 km
23 days ago
2 Aug, 01:35
1.3
2 km West of L'Aquila
14 km North-West · 10 km
24 days ago
1 Aug, 12:17
1.2
8 km North-West of L'Aquila
21 km North-West · 10 km
26 days ago
30 Jul, 14:37
1.1
3 km South-West of Rocca di Mezzo
3 km South-West · 14 km
29 days ago
27 Jul, 00:16
1.1
3 km South-West of Rocca di Mezzo
3 km South-West · 14 km
29 days ago
27 Jul, 00:16
1.2
5 km East of Borgorose
13 km West · 10 km
2 months ago
11 Jul, 05:29
1.5
2 months ago
7 Jul, 17:33
1.5
2 months ago
7 Jul, 17:33
1.1
2 months ago
6 Jul, 05:28

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Rocca di Mezzo sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 87% of the 108 towns in the province.
Rocca di Mezzo75
Nearby towns average67

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: 066082

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Rocca di Mezzo?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Rocca di Mezzo area: the latest nearby dates back to 10 days ago.

Is Rocca di Mezzo a seismic area?

Rocca di Mezzo 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 Rocca di Mezzo?

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

When was the last quake near Rocca di Mezzo?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Rocca di Mezzo 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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