Province of Matera

Earthquakes in Garaguso

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

6 km East of San Mauro Forte

13 days ago · 12 Aug, 18:00
Depth 40 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
12
days since the last quake nearby
521
quakes recorded since 2014
~8 days
on average, one quake every
3.5
The strongest within 30 km
3 km South-East of San Mauro Forte
61 months ago · 14 Aug, 11:29

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone2
Seismic zone 2

A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

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 = 0.166 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
8
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
36
In the area
last 12 months
M3.5
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Garaguso plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 16 months ago · 1,134 inhabitants

The seismic history of Garaguso

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

  1. 1996III-IV3 April 1996

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 67 km away

  2. 1995III-IV29 May 1995

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

    Val d'Agri earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 37 km away

  3. 1991V-VI26 May 1991

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 38 km away

  4. 1991V-VI18 April 1991

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

    Piana di Metaponto earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 50 km away

  5. 1990V-VI28 August 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 32 km away

  6. 1990VI5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 46 km away

  7. 1989V29 May 1989

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

    Appennino lucano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 43 km away

  8. 1988V-VI13 April 1988

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

    Golfo di Taranto earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 112 km away

  9. 1987IV28 January 1987

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 65 km away

  10. 1978V24 September 1978

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

    Materano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 22 km away

  11. 1857VII-VIII16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 42 km away

  12. 1694VIII8 September 1694

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 78 km away

…and 4 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.

18577.1
Basilicata earthquake
16 December 1857 · 42 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
12735.8
Potenza earthquake
18 December 1273 · 38 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19905.8
Potentino earthquake
5 May 1990 · 46 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
18265.7
Potentino earthquake
1 February 1826 · 44 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

Baragiano-Palagianello

The town lies about 10 km from Baragiano-Palagianello, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.4between 13 and 22 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 20265eventsmax 1.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
6 km East of San Mauro Forte
14 km South-East · 40 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 18:00
1.3
13 days ago
12 Aug, 02:36
1.2
5 km South-West of Tricarico
12 km West · 35 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 00:17
1.2
14 days ago
11 Aug, 00:12
0.5
0 km East of San Chirico Nuovo
19 km North-West · 8 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 15:39
1.3
5 km South-East of Irsina
16 km North · 11 km
2 months ago
8 Jul, 17:39
1.3
5 km South-East of Irsina
16 km North · 11 km
2 months ago
8 Jul, 17:39
1.2
6 km North-East of Salandra
9 km East · 26 km
3 months ago
5 Jun, 00:37
1.2
2 km South-West of Accettura
14 km South-West · 24 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 15:52
2.1
2 km North of Cirigliano
16 km South-West · 25 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 03:36

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Garaguso is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 53% of the 31 towns in the province.
Garaguso8
Nearby towns average30

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

Context

Province of Matera5 events · 30gBasilicata region31 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 077009

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Garaguso?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Garaguso area: the latest nearby dates back to 13 days ago.

Is Garaguso a seismic area?

Garaguso is classified in seismic zone 2 by the Civil Protection. A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

What was the strongest earthquake near Garaguso?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Garaguso was magnitude 3.5, in 2021.

When was the last quake near Garaguso?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Garaguso was 13 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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