Province of Modena

Earthquakes in Finale Emilia

2.6
light
LATEST QUAKE

3 km South-West of Bondeno

2 months ago · 3 Apr, 05:50
Depth 9 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
16
days since the last quake nearby
235
quakes recorded since 2015
~18 days
on average, one quake every
4.2
The strongest within 30 km
1 km South-East of Ceneselli
32 months ago · 28 Oct, 17:29

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~11 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone3
Seismic zone 3

Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

Low
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 = 0.146 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
64
In the town
total on record
2
In the town
last 12 months
8
In the area
last 12 months
M3.5
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Finale Emilia plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 11 months ago · 15,713 inhabitants

The seismic history of Finale Emilia

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

  1. 2012VII29 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Canaletto

  2. 2012VII29 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 16 km away

  3. 2012D29 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Reno Finalese

  4. 2012VI29 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Massa Finalese

  5. 2012VII20 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 6 km away · observed at Canaletto

  6. 2012VII20 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 6 km away

  7. 2012D20 May 2012

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 6 km away · observed at Reno Finalese

  8. 1986VI6 December 1986

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

    Ferrarese earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 18 km away

  9. 1914VI27 October 1914

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

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 117 km away

  10. 1639VII-VIII6 April 1639

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

    Finale Emilia earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 2 km away

  11. 1574VII17 March 1574

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

    Finale Emilia earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 2 km away

  12. 1570VI17 November 1570

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

    Ferrarese earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 29 km away

…and 41 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.

20126.1
Pianura emiliana earthquake
20 May 2012 · 6 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
15016.0
Modenese earthquake
5 June 1501 · 49 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
20125.9
Pianura emiliana earthquake
29 May 2012 · 16 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
15055.6
Bolognese earthquake
3 January 1505 · 38 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

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

The closest seismic structure

Finale Emilia-Mirabello

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.3between 4 and 10 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

April 20261eventmax 2.6
Jul
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

2.6
3 km South-West of Bondeno
7 km North-East · 9 km
2 months ago
3 Apr, 05:50
2.3
3 months ago
23 Mar, 23:04
2.1
4 km North-West of Medolla
17 km West · 6 km
7 months ago
8 Nov, 08:58
2.2
10 months ago
4 Aug, 07:56
2.0
11 months ago
25 Jul, 13:37
2.0
4 km West of Finale Emilia
4 km West · 19 km
11 months ago
11 Jul, 15:20
3.5
11 months ago
9 Jul, 09:43
2.4
5 km North-East of Finale Emilia
5 km North-East · 19 km
11 months ago
6 Jul, 14:35
1.7
4 km North-West of Finale Emilia
4 km North-West · 7 km
13 months ago
30 May, 05:02
2.5
13 months ago
19 May, 14:41

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Finale Emilia records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 78% of the 47 towns in the province.
Finale Emilia64
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 Modena6 events · 30gEmilia-Romagna region108 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 036012

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Finale Emilia?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Finale Emilia area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Finale Emilia a seismic area?

Finale Emilia is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

What was the strongest earthquake near Finale Emilia?

In the last ~11 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Finale Emilia was magnitude 4.2, in 2023.

When was the last quake near Finale Emilia?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Finale Emilia was 16 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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