Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Atella

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km East of Ruoti

19 days ago · 6 Aug, 04:51
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
9
days since the last quake nearby
1,105
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
4.2
The strongest within 30 km
3 km East of Potenza
18 months ago · 18 Mar, 10:01

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 = 0.173 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Go to Ripacandida Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
41
In the area
last 12 months
M3.5
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Atella plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Atella · 3,863 inhabitants

The seismic history of Atella

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

  1. 1980VII23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 31 km away

  2. 1930VIII23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 38 km away

  3. 1910VII7 June 1910

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 20 km away

  4. 1910D7 June 1910

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Abbazia di San Michele a Monticchio

  5. 1857VII16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 57 km away

  6. 1851HD14 August 1851

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Vulture earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 14 km away · observed at Abbazia di San Michele a Monticchio

  7. 1851VIII14 August 1851

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

    Vulture earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 14 km away

  8. 1694X8 September 1694

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 20 km away

  9. 1694HD8 September 1694

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Abbazia di San Michele a Monticchio

  10. 1688VIII5 June 1688

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

    Sannio earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 104 km away

  11. 1561VIII-IX19 August 1561

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Vallo di Diano earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 33 km away

  12. 1456VIII5 December 1456

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

    Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 94 km away

…and 34 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.

19806.8
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
23 November 1980 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16946.7
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
8 September 1694 · 20 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 33 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
19306.7
Irpinia earthquake
23 July 1930 · 38 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

Andretta-Filano

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 2 and 15 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 20264eventsmax 1.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
4 km East of Ruoti
19 km South-East · 11 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 04:51
1.7
4 km South of Maschito
20 km East · 13 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 01:07
1.2
2 km North of Forenza
17 km East · 3 km
20 days ago
5 Aug, 11:19
1.2
4 km West of Ruoti
15 km South · 10 km
23 days ago
2 Aug, 19:47
1.1
7 km East of Picerno
23 km South · 10 km
2 months ago
10 Jul, 03:42
1.2
4 km North-East of Picerno
19 km South · 4 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 19:30
1.3
5 km East of Balvano
21 km South · 7 km
2 months ago
30 Jun, 07:17
0.9
4 km East of Muro Lucano
17 km South-West · 17 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 07:09
1.3
7 km North-East of Muro Lucano
12 km South-West · 20 km
3 months ago
26 May, 08:27
1.7
6 km West of Bella
15 km South-West · 11 km
3 months ago
12 May, 22:32

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

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

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 100 towns in the province.
Atella0
Nearby towns average34

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

Context

Province of Potenza26 events · 30gBasilicata region31 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 076006

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Atella?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Atella area: the latest nearby dates back to 19 days ago.

Is Atella a seismic area?

Atella 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 Atella?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Atella was magnitude 4.2, in 2025.

When was the last quake near Atella?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Atella 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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