Province of Modena

Earthquakes in Palagano

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
3,132
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 = 0.161 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
51
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
59
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Palagano plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 22 months ago · 2,354 inhabitants

The seismic history of Palagano

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

  1. 2002III-IV18 June 2002

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 7 km away

  2. 2002NF8 June 2002

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Frignano earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 7 km away

  3. 2000IV-V3 October 2000

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 1 km away

  4. 2000III18 June 2000

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

    Pianura emiliana earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 51 km away

  5. 1997II-III24 December 1997

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 22 km away

  6. 1988II-III8 February 1988

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 32 km away

  7. 1987III-IV2 May 1987

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

    Reggiano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 53 km away · observed at Ca' d'Andrea

  8. 1987IV10 February 1987

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 38 km away · observed at Casina

  9. 1986IV1 October 1986

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 42 km away · observed at Casina

  10. 1986IV1 October 1986

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 42 km away

  11. 1983IV-V9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 56 km away · observed at Casina

  12. 1983IV9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 56 km away

…and 3 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 · 34 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15016.0
Modenese earthquake
5 June 1501 · 26 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18375.9
Lunigiana earthquake
11 April 1837 · 41 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 32 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

Langhirano-Sassuolo

The town lies about 16 km from Langhirano-Sassuolo, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.8between 2 and 8 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 20264eventsmax 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
17 km South-East · 19 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 21:14
2.1
14 days ago
11 Aug, 11:16
0.9
20 days ago
5 Aug, 10:49
1.8
3 km South of Montefiorino
4 km South-West · 9 km
26 days ago
30 Jul, 13:28
1.3
6 km North-West of Riolunato
8 km South-West · 10 km
1 month ago
24 Jul, 13:42
2.0
0 km East of Lama Mocogno
6 km South-East · 9 km
1 month ago
20 Jul, 06:38
1.7
2 km East of Fiumalbo
18 km South · 16 km
1 month ago
18 Jul, 20:35
1.4
4 km West of Montese
21 km East · 9 km
2 months ago
7 Jul, 23:31
1.4
4 km West of Montese
21 km East · 9 km
2 months ago
7 Jul, 23:31

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Palagano records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 74% of the 47 towns in the province.
Palagano51
Nearby towns average106

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: 036029

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Palagano?

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

Is Palagano a seismic area?

Palagano 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 Palagano?

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

When was the last quake near Palagano?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Palagano was 12 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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