Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Rapolla

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km South of Maschito

19 days ago · 6 Aug, 01:07
Depth 13 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
19
days since the last quake nearby
190
quakes recorded since 2014
~22 days
on average, one quake every
3.4
The strongest within 30 km
3 km East of Bella
120 months ago · 20 Oct, 02:09

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 = 0.178 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
5
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
8
In the area
last 12 months
M2.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Rapolla plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 12 months ago · 4,430 inhabitants

The seismic history of Rapolla

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

  1. 2006IV-V29 May 2006

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

    Gargano earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 93 km away

  2. 1998V7 April 1998

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

    Valle dell'Ofanto earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 16 km away

  3. 1996IV-V3 April 1996

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 42 km away

  4. 1991VI-VII26 May 1991

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 34 km away

  5. 1990VII5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 27 km away

  6. 1962V-VI21 August 1962

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 69 km away

  7. 1948VI18 August 1948

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

    Gargano earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 66 km away

  8. 1930VIII-IX23 July 1930

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 34 km away

  9. 1857VI16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 71 km away

  10. 1851IX-X14 August 1851

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Vulture earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 4 km away

  11. 1694VIII8 September 1694

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 29 km away

  12. 1456VIII-IX5 December 1456

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 91 km away

…and 12 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 · 39 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16946.7
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake
8 September 1694 · 29 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 50 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
19306.7
Irpinia earthquake
23 July 1930 · 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

Rapolla-Spinazzola

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 12 and 23 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 1.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
4 km South of Maschito
17 km South-East · 13 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 01:07
1.2
2 km North of Forenza
17 km South-East · 3 km
20 days ago
5 Aug, 11:19
1.4
3 km East of Aquilonia
15 km West · 11 km
4 months ago
16 Apr, 19:21
1.7
4 km East of Aquilonia
15 km West · 23 km
4 months ago
16 Apr, 14:45
1.4
5 km South-West of Forenza
20 km South-East · 10 km
6 months ago
18 Feb, 23:05
1.2
4 km North-East of Avigliano
21 km South · 9 km
10 months ago
6 Nov, 05:51
1.9
2 km South-East of Aquilonia
17 km West · 16 km
10 months ago
24 Oct, 17:30
1.4
7 km North-East of Rapolla
7 km North-East · 6 km
12 months ago
11 Sept, 02:10
1.3
13 months ago
10 Aug, 03:48
1.3
5 km South-East of Avigliano
29 km South · 20 km
13 months ago
24 Jul, 08:37

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Rapolla is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 31% of the 100 towns in the province.
Rapolla5
Nearby towns average10

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: 076064

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Rapolla?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Rapolla area: the latest nearby dates back to 19 days ago.

Is Rapolla a seismic area?

Rapolla 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 Rapolla?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Rapolla was magnitude 3.4, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Rapolla?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Rapolla was 19 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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