Province of Modena

Earthquakes in Sestola

2.2
light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km South-West of Zocca

8 hours ago · 24 Aug, 23:59
Depth 27 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
3,809
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
4.3
The strongest within 30 km
4 km South-East of Camugnano
141 months ago · 23 Jan, 07:51

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 = 0.169 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
57
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
92
In the area
last 12 months
M3.8
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Sestola plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 13 months ago · 2,602 inhabitants

The seismic history of Sestola

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

  1. 2000V3 October 2000

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 15 km away

  2. 1997IV-V24 December 1997

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 26 km away

  3. 1995IV31 December 1995

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

    Appennino reggiano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 27 km away

  4. 1995IV-V24 August 1995

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

    Appennino pistoiese earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 18 km away

  5. 1988IV8 February 1988

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 33 km away

  6. 1988IV8 February 1988

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 20 km away

  7. 1924V12 June 1924

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

    Frignano earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 11 km away

  8. 1920VI-VII7 September 1920

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 41 km away

  9. 1914V-VI27 October 1914

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

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 40 km away

  10. 1902V4 August 1902

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 43 km away

  11. 1896V-VI8 December 1896

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

    Sestola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 5 km away

  12. 1895V-VI7 August 1895

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

    Appennino tosco-emiliano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 31 km away

…and 37 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 · 41 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 · 49 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 31 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 21 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 202610eventsmax 2.2
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

2.2
2 km South-West of Zocca
19 km North-East · 27 km
8 hours ago
24 Aug, 23:59
2.1
4 km East of Zocca
24 km East · 23 km
22 hours ago
24 Aug, 09:30
1.2
3 km North of Zocca
23 km North-East · 29 km
yesterday
24 Aug, 07:33
1.8
1 km South-West of Zocca
20 km North-East · 24 km
yesterday
24 Aug, 02:15
0.9
6 km West of Fanano
8 km South-West · 19 km
12 days ago
12 Aug, 21:14
2.1
14 days ago
11 Aug, 11:16
1.1
4 km West of Alto Reno Terme
16 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
19 km East · 20 km
22 days ago
3 Aug, 01:09

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Sestola records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 76% of the 47 towns in the province.
Sestola57
Nearby towns average217

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: 036043

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Sestola?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Sestola area: the latest nearby dates back to 8 hours ago.

Is Sestola a seismic area?

Sestola 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 Sestola?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Sestola was magnitude 4.3, in 2015.

When was the last quake near Sestola?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Sestola was 8 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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