Province of Modena

Earthquakes in Montecreto

1.4
very light
LATEST QUAKE

5 km North-East of Castiglione di Garfagnana

5 days ago · 20 Aug, 06:59
Depth 8 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
3,628
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
4 km North-East of Villa Minozzo
118 months ago · 9 Dec, 08:21

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 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.

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 = 0.173 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
28
In the town
total on record
2
In the town
last 12 months
76
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Montecreto plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 11 months ago · 1,000 inhabitants

The seismic history of Montecreto

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

  1. 2002IV18 June 2002

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 17 km away

  2. 1999IV7 July 1999

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 11 km away

  3. 1995IV-V24 August 1995

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

    Appennino pistoiese earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 23 km away

  4. 1988IV8 February 1988

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 15 km away

  5. 1986III1 October 1986

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 48 km away

  6. 1985IV23 January 1985

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 29 km away

  7. 1983III9 November 1983

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 67 km away

  8. 1924III-IV12 June 1924

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 12 km away

  9. 1920VII7 September 1920

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 37 km away

  10. 1908IV2 June 1908

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 8 km away

  11. 1904V10 June 1904

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 11 km away

  12. 1501VII-VIII5 June 1501

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

    Modenese earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 31 km away

…and 5 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.

19206.5
Garfagnana earthquake
7 September 1920 · 37 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15016.0
Modenese earthquake
5 June 1501 · 31 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18375.9
Lunigiana earthquake
11 April 1837 · 44 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 27 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

Garfagnana

The town lies about 19 km from Garfagnana, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 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

August 20267eventsmax 2.1
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.4
5 days ago
20 Aug, 06:59
0.9
6 km West of Fanano
6 km South · 19 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 21:14
2.1
4 km South-East of Serramazzoni
20 km North-East · 28 km
14 days ago
11 Aug, 11:16
1.1
4 km West of Alto Reno Terme
20 km South-East · 10 km
16 days ago
9 Aug, 16:52
0.9
20 days ago
5 Aug, 10:49
0.8
21 days ago
4 Aug, 04:50
0.7
4 km East of Gaggio Montano
24 km East · 20 km
22 days ago
3 Aug, 01:09
1.8
3 km South of Montefiorino
12 km North-West · 9 km
26 days ago
30 Jul, 13:28
1.8
1 km West of Alto Reno Terme
21 km South-East · 14 km
26 days ago
30 Jul, 06:45
1.3
6 km North-West of Riolunato
10 km West · 10 km
1 month ago
24 Jul, 13:42

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Montecreto records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 70% of the 47 towns in the province.
Montecreto28
Nearby towns average214

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

Context

Province of Modena8 events · 30gEmilia-Romagna region45 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 036024

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Montecreto?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montecreto area: the latest nearby dates back to 5 days ago.

Is Montecreto a seismic area?

Montecreto 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 Montecreto?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montecreto was magnitude 3.9, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Montecreto?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montecreto was 10 hours 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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