Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Cancellara

1.2
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km East of Potenza

9 days ago · 16 Aug, 01:24
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
9
days since the last quake nearby
749
quakes recorded since 2014
~6 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 = 0.164 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
3
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
52
In the area
last 12 months
M4.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Cancellara plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 21 months ago · 1,396 inhabitants

The seismic history of Cancellara

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

  1. 2002III-IV18 April 2002

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

    Appennino lucano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 35 km away

  2. 1998III26 April 1998

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Potentino earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 13 km away

  3. 1995III-IV30 September 1995

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

    Gargano earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 118 km away

  4. 1991VII26 May 1991

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 9 km away

  5. 1990IV28 August 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 1 km away

  6. 1990VII5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 15 km away

  7. 1987III28 January 1987

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Potentino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 33 km away

  8. 1954V-VI6 August 1954

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 11 km away

  9. 1953IV25 February 1953

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

    Vibonese earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 228 km away

  10. 1930VII-VIII23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 63 km away

  11. 1857VIII16 December 1857

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

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

  12. 1694VII-VIII8 September 1694

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 46 km away

…and 9 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.
16946.7
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
8 September 1694 · 46 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 40 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
18516.5
Vulture earthquake
14 August 1851 · 34 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

Baragiano-Palagianello

The town lies about 5 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 202613eventsmax 2.1
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.2
4 km East of Potenza
9 km South-West · 11 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 01:24
1.3
3 km East of Brindisi Montagna
13 km South · 11 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 02:36
1.2
5 km South-West of Tricarico
21 km South-East · 35 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 00:17
2.1
4 km West of Abriola
27 km South-West · 27 km
14 days ago
11 Aug, 11:49
1.2
3 km North-East of Campomaggiore
21 km South-East · 37 km
14 days ago
11 Aug, 00:12
0.9
6 km West of Abriola
27 km South-West · 19 km
15 days ago
10 Aug, 12:36
0.5
19 days ago
6 Aug, 15:39
1.5
4 km East of Ruoti
16 km West · 11 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 04:51
1.7
4 km South of Maschito
18 km North · 13 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 01:07
1.2
2 km North of Forenza
17 km North-West · 3 km
20 days ago
5 Aug, 11:19

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Cancellara is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 25% of the 100 towns in the province.
Cancellara3
Nearby towns average44

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: 076018

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Cancellara?

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

Is Cancellara a seismic area?

Cancellara 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 Cancellara?

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

When was the last quake near Cancellara?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Cancellara 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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