Earthquakes in Picerno
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
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.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.235 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Picerno plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Picerno
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Picerno over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2004V-VI3 September 2004
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Potentino earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 8 km away
- 1991V-VI26 May 1991
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 16 km away
- 1990VI5 May 1990
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 14 km away
- 1986VI23 July 1986
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Potentino earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 9 km away
- 1981V-VI21 September 1981
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Potentino earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 3 km away
- 1930VI23 July 1930
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 55 km away
- 1910V-VI7 June 1910
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 34 km away
- 1899V-VI2 October 1899
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Polla earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 10 km away
- 1857IX16 December 1857
Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 37 km away
- 1694VIII8 September 1694
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 31 km away
- 1561IX19 August 1561
Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
Vallo di Diano earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 14 km away
- 1561VII31 July 1561
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Vallo di Diano earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 21 km away
…and 35 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 5 km from Baragiano-Palagianello, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Picerno sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
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 · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Picerno?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Picerno area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 days ago.
Is Picerno a seismic area?
Picerno 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 Picerno?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Picerno was magnitude 4.2, in 2025.
When was the last quake near Picerno?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Picerno was 6 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)