Province of Benevento

Earthquakes in Arpaia

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

0 km South-East of Forchia

4 months ago · 6 May, 00:27
Depth 7 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
4
days since the last quake nearby
1,140
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
4.0
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North of Montefredane
10 months ago · 25 Oct, 21:49

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 = 0.181 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
8
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
3
In the area
last 12 months
M2.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Arpaia plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 7 months ago · 2,016 inhabitants

The seismic history of Arpaia

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

  1. 2005V21 May 2005

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

    Area Nolana earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 5 km away

  2. 2002IV-V1 November 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 83 km away

  3. 1996IV-V3 April 1996

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 86 km away

  4. 1983IV-V5 January 1983

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

    Valle Caudina earthquake (M3.6), epicentre 3 km away

  5. 1981VII14 February 1981

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

    Monti di Avella earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 7 km away

  6. 1980VII23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 65 km away

  7. 1962VI21 August 1962

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 40 km away

  8. 1930VII-VIII23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 65 km away

  9. 1903VII4 May 1903

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

    Valle Caudina earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 1 km away

  10. 1805VIII-IX26 July 1805

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Molise earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 53 km away

  11. 1732VII-VIII29 November 1732

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 43 km away

  12. 1456VIII5 December 1456

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

    Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 33 km away

…and 7 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.

14567.2
Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake
5 December 1456 · 33 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
16887.1
Sannio earthquake
5 June 1688 · 28 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17326.8
Irpinia earthquake
29 November 1732 · 43 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17026.6
Sannio-Irpinia earthquake
14 March 1702 · 38 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

Miranda-Apice

The town lies about 28 km from Miranda-Apice, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 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

May 20262eventsmax 1.8
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

37 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
4 months ago
6 May, 00:27
1.8
4 months ago
5 May, 19:42
1.4
1 km South-West of Arpaia
1 km South-West · 6 km
7 months ago
10 Feb, 23:20
1.5
2 km East of Airola
4 km North-East · 6 km
15 months ago
12 Jun, 23:00
1.8
2 km East of Roccarainola
5 km South · 10 km
15 months ago
18 May, 18:02
1.5
16 months ago
26 Apr, 21:11
1.7
4 km South-East of Arienzo
4 km South-West · 6 km
17 months ago
9 Apr, 15:47
1.9
1 km South-East of Airola
3 km North-East · 4 km
20 months ago
19 Dec, 16:00
1.6
1 km South of Paolisi
2 km South-East · 5 km
25 months ago
12 Aug, 15:41
1.6
0 km West of Paolisi
2 km East · 6 km
25 months ago
7 Aug, 08:12

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Arpaia records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 62% of the 78 towns in the province.
Arpaia8
Nearby towns average2.4

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of Benevento4 events · 30gCampania region129 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 062005

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Arpaia?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Arpaia area: the latest nearby dates back to 4 months ago.

Is Arpaia a seismic area?

Arpaia 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 Arpaia?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Arpaia was magnitude 4.0, in 2025.

When was the last quake near Arpaia?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Arpaia 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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