Earthquakes in Montese
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.164 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Montese plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Montese
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Montese over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1999V7 July 1999
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Frignano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 7 km away
- 1995IV-V24 August 1995
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Appennino pistoiese earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 15 km away · observed at Castelluccio
- 1957V27 August 1957
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Appennino modenese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 15 km away
- 1920VI7 September 1920
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 53 km away · observed at Salto
- 1920VI7 September 1920
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 53 km away
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 48 km away
- 1908IV-V2 June 1908
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Frignano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 9 km away
- 1904IV-V17 November 1904
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Pistoiese earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 35 km away
- 1896V8 December 1896
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Sestola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 12 km away
- 1744D1744
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Appennino modenese earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Iola
- 1644D9 May 1644
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Frignano earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Iola
- 1399VIII20 July 1399
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Appennino modenese earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Dismano
…and 30 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 17 km from Castelvetro di Modena-Castel San Pietro Terme, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Montese sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
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 · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Montese?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montese area: the latest nearby dates back to 9 hours ago.
Is Montese a seismic area?
Montese 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 Montese?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montese was magnitude 4.3, in 2015.
When was the last quake near Montese?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montese was 9 hours ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)