Province of Potenza

Earthquakes in Tolve

1.2
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km East of Potenza

9 days ago · 16 Aug, 01:24
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
9
days since the last quake nearby
717
quakes recorded since 2014
~6 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 = 0.152 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
8
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
36
In the area
last 12 months
M4.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Tolve plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 23 months ago · 3,361 inhabitants

The seismic history of Tolve

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Tolve 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 123 km away

  2. 1991VI26 May 1991

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 20 km away

  3. 1990V-VI28 August 1990

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

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

  4. 1990VI-VII5 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

  5. 1989IV-V29 May 1989

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

    Appennino lucano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 33 km away

  6. 1988IV8 January 1988

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

    Pollino earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 78 km away

  7. 1987IV28 January 1987

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

    Potentino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 45 km away

  8. 1980VI23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 67 km away

  9. 1978IV-V24 September 1978

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

    Materano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 37 km away

  10. 1930VII23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 74 km away

  11. 1910V7 June 1910

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 57 km away

  12. 1857VII-VIII16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 43 km away

…and 17 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 · 43 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
15616.7
Vallo di Diano earthquake
19 August 1561 · 49 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
18516.5
Vulture earthquake
14 August 1851 · 43 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16255.8
Vulture earthquake
August 1625 · 35 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

Baragiano-Palagianello

The town lies about 4 km from Baragiano-Palagianello, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.4between 13 and 22 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 20267eventsmax 1.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.2
4 km East of Potenza
18 km West · 11 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 01:24
1.3
3 km East of Brindisi Montagna
13 km South-West · 11 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 02:36
1.2
5 km South-West of Tricarico
12 km South-East · 35 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 00:17
1.2
14 days ago
11 Aug, 00:12
0.5
0 km East of San Chirico Nuovo
4 km South-East · 8 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 15:39
1.2
2 km North of Forenza
26 km North-West · 3 km
20 days ago
5 Aug, 11:19
1.9
2 km East of Potenza
20 km West · 11 km
22 days ago
3 Aug, 14:49
1.3
25 days ago
31 Jul, 03:00
1.3
5 km South-East of Irsina
20 km East · 11 km
2 months ago
8 Jul, 17:39
1.3
5 km South-East of Irsina
20 km East · 11 km
2 months ago
8 Jul, 17:39

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Tolve is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 42% of the 100 towns in the province.
Tolve8
Nearby towns average32

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: 076090

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Tolve?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Tolve area: the latest nearby dates back to 9 days ago.

Is Tolve a seismic area?

Tolve 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 Tolve?

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

When was the last quake near Tolve?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Tolve was 9 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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