Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Laurenzana

0.9
very light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km North-West of Paterno

10 days ago · 15 Aug, 20:31
Depth 18 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
7
days since the last quake nearby
1,358
quakes recorded since 2014
~3 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 = 0.176 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
7
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
65
In the area
last 12 months
M3.8
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Laurenzana plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 34 months ago · 1,944 inhabitants

The seismic history of Laurenzana

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

  1. 1995III-IV29 May 1995

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

    Val d'Agri earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 21 km away

  2. 1990V28 August 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 31 km away

  3. 1990IV-V26 August 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 21 km away

  4. 1990VI5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 38 km away

  5. 1989IV29 May 1989

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

    Appennino lucano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 23 km away

  6. 1986IV23 July 1986

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 28 km away

  7. 1980VI23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 73 km away

  8. 1978IV24 September 1978

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

    Materano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 48 km away

  9. 1935IV3 December 1935

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

    Calvello earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 11 km away

  10. 1932V3 December 1932

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

    Marsico Vetere earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 17 km away

  11. 1910IV3 October 1910

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

    Basilicata meridionale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 38 km away

  12. 1857IX16 December 1857

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 16 km away

…and 18 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 · 16 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 42 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
18365.9
Appennino lucano earthquake
20 November 1836 · 39 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
12735.8
Potenza earthquake
18 December 1273 · 26 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Irpinia-Agri Valley

The town lies about 16 km from Irpinia-Agri Valley, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.8between 1 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 20266eventsmax 2.1
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.9
2 km North-West of Paterno
23 km West · 18 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 20:31
1.3
3 km East of Brindisi Montagna
18 km North · 11 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 02:36
2.1
4 km West of Abriola
21 km West · 27 km
14 days ago
11 Aug, 11:49
1.2
3 km North-East of Campomaggiore
19 km North-East · 37 km
14 days ago
11 Aug, 00:12
0.9
6 km West of Abriola
23 km West · 19 km
15 days ago
10 Aug, 12:36
1.2
3 km West of Pignola
23 km North-West · 14 km
24 days ago
1 Aug, 14:46
1.0
0 km North of Abriola
18 km North-West · 10 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 21:31
1.2
1 km West of Paterno
23 km West · 10 km
1 month ago
25 Jul, 12:40
1.3
1 km West of Paterno
23 km West · 9 km
1 month ago
25 Jul, 12:36
2.0
1 km West of Paterno
23 km West · 9 km
1 month ago
25 Jul, 12:24

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Laurenzana is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 37% of the 100 towns in the province.
Laurenzana7
Nearby towns average49

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: 076041

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Laurenzana?

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

Is Laurenzana a seismic area?

Laurenzana 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 Laurenzana?

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

When was the last quake near Laurenzana?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Laurenzana was 8 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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