Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Pescopagano

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
6
days since the last quake nearby
1,319
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 = 0.259 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
11
In the town
total on record
3
In the town
last 12 months
52
In the area
last 12 months
M3.5
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Pescopagano plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 4 months ago · 2,022 inhabitants

The seismic history of Pescopagano

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

  1. 1996V3 April 1996

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 21 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 31 km away

  3. 1981V29 November 1981

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 11 km away

  4. 1980VI3 December 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 15 km away

  5. 1980IX23 November 1980

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 10 km away

  6. 1962V21 August 1962

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 57 km away

  7. 1930VII23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 26 km away

  8. 1923VI8 November 1923

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

    Appennino campano-lucano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 19 km away

  9. 1857VII16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 66 km away

  10. 1851VI14 August 1851

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

    Vulture earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 26 km away

  11. 1694X8 September 1694

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 2 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 29 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 · 10 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17326.8
Irpinia earthquake
29 November 1732 · 38 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
16946.7
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
8 September 1694 · 2 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.

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

The closest seismic structure

Conza della Campania-Tolve

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.5between 1 and 12 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
13 km West · 17 km
8 days ago
17 Aug, 08:22
1.0
4 km North of Colliano
13 km South-West · 18 km
16 days ago
9 Aug, 18:14
1.4
2 km South-West of Caposele
16 km West · 13 km
1 month ago
16 Jul, 19:17
1.3
4 km East of Teora
10 km West · 13 km
2 months ago
1 Jul, 23:59
0.9
4 km East of Muro Lucano
16 km South-East · 17 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 07:09
1.0
2 km East of Lioni
17 km West · 16 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 18:15
1.2
3 km North-East of Valva
12 km South-West · 15 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 06:00
1.3
7 km North-East of Muro Lucano
13 km South-East · 20 km
3 months ago
26 May, 08:27
1.7
3 months ago
20 May, 10:14
2.1
3 months ago
20 May, 09:21

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Pescopagano is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 52% of the 100 towns in the province.
Pescopagano11
Nearby towns average58

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: 076058

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Pescopagano?

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

Is Pescopagano a seismic area?

Pescopagano 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 Pescopagano?

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

When was the last quake near Pescopagano?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Pescopagano was 7 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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