Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Muro Lucano

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km North of Valva

8 days ago · 17 Aug, 08:22
Depth 17 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
3
days since the last quake nearby
1,427
quakes recorded since 2014
~3 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
4 km North of Ricigliano
31 months ago · 10 Feb, 16:10

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 = 0.258 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
132
In the town
total on record
6
In the town
last 12 months
67
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Muro Lucano plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 2 months ago · 5,568 inhabitants

The seismic history of Muro Lucano

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

  1. 1991V-VI26 May 1991

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 31 km away

  2. 1990V-VI5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 24 km away

  3. 1980VI3 December 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 2 km away

  4. 1980VIII23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 19 km away

  5. 1930VII23 July 1930

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

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

  6. 1910VII7 June 1910

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 18 km away

  7. 1857VI16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 54 km away

  8. 1851VI14 August 1851

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

    Vulture earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 30 km away

  9. 1694X8 September 1694

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 14 km away

  10. 1692VIII4 March 1692

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 28 km away

  11. 1561IX19 August 1561

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Vallo di Diano earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 20 km away

  12. 1466VIII15 January 1466

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 11 km away

…and 36 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 · 19 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17326.8
Irpinia earthquake
29 November 1732 · 49 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
16946.7
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
8 September 1694 · 14 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 20 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.

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

The closest seismic structure

Irpinia-Agri Valley

The town lies about 1 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 20262eventsmax 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
4 km North of Valva
17 km West · 17 km
8 days ago
17 Aug, 08:22
1.0
4 km North of Colliano
12 km West · 18 km
16 days ago
9 Aug, 18:14
1.5
1 km North-East of Buccino
14 km South-West · 14 km
1 month ago
17 Jul, 04:00
1.1
7 km East of Picerno
24 km East · 10 km
2 months ago
10 Jul, 03:42
1.2
4 km North-East of Picerno
20 km East · 4 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 19:30
1.3
5 km East of Balvano
14 km South-East · 7 km
2 months ago
30 Jun, 07:17
0.9
4 km East of Muro Lucano
4 km East · 17 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 07:09
1.0
3 km North-East of Ricigliano
7 km South-East · 10 km
2 months ago
12 Jun, 05:27
1.2
3 km North-East of Valva
14 km West · 15 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 06:00
1.3
7 km North-East of Muro Lucano
7 km North-East · 20 km
3 months ago
26 May, 08:27

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Muro Lucano 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 99% of the 100 towns in the province.
Muro Lucano132
Nearby towns average51

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: 076053

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Muro Lucano?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Muro Lucano area: the latest nearby dates back to 8 days ago.

Is Muro Lucano a seismic area?

Muro Lucano 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 Muro Lucano?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Muro Lucano was magnitude 3.9, in 2024.

When was the last quake near Muro Lucano?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Muro Lucano was 4 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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