Province of Parma

Earthquakes in Medesano

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

6 km South-East of Calestano

2 months ago · 15 Jun, 19:08
Depth 24 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
15
days since the last quake nearby
934
quakes recorded since 2014
~5 days
on average, one quake every
4.4
The strongest within 30 km
4 km East of Solignano
107 months ago · 19 Nov, 13:37

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 = 0.156 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
5
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
16
In the area
last 12 months
M4.4
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Medesano plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 6 months ago · 10,663 inhabitants

The seismic history of Medesano

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

  1. 2008V-VI23 December 2008

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 30 km away

  2. 2008V-VI23 December 2008

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 30 km away · observed at Miano

  3. 1983VI9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 14 km away · observed at Felegara

  4. 1983VI9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 14 km away

  5. 1983VI9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 14 km away · observed at Miano

  6. 1983V9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 14 km away · observed at Ramiola

  7. 1971VI-VII15 July 1971

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 22 km away

  8. 1961V14 August 1961

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

    Parmense earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 9 km away

  9. 1961V13 August 1961

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

    Parmense earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 12 km away

  10. 1955V12 March 1955

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

    Parmense earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 9 km away

  11. 1920VI-VII7 September 1920

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 64 km away

  12. 1886V15 October 1886

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

    Collecchio earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 18 km away

…and 7 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.

18346.0
Val di Taro-Lunigiana earthquake
14 February 1834 · 39 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
14385.6
Parmense earthquake
11 June 1438 · 17 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19715.5
Parmense earthquake
15 July 1971 · 22 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18325.5
Reggiano earthquake
13 March 1832 · 33 km from here
VII-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

San Giorgio Piacentino-Fornovo di Taro

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.2between 2 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

June 20261eventmax 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
6 km South-East of Calestano
22 km South-East · 24 km
2 months ago
15 Jun, 19:08
2.1
3 km West of Langhirano
17 km South-East · 25 km
6 months ago
3 Mar, 14:55
2.5
2 km South-West of Langhirano
18 km South-East · 20 km
6 months ago
3 Mar, 14:47
2.6
3 km North-East of Medesano
3 km North-East · 37 km
6 months ago
28 Feb, 05:59
2.6
4 km South-West of Langhirano
19 km South-East · 36 km
6 months ago
18 Feb, 09:58
2.3
2 km South-East of Fornovo di Taro
11 km South-East · 20 km
8 months ago
28 Dec, 19:51
2.0
4 km East of Felino
18 km East · 36 km
9 months ago
20 Nov, 00:17
2.3
5 km South of Sala Baganza
13 km South-East · 21 km
10 months ago
30 Oct, 00:28
2.3
5 km South-West of Sala Baganza
12 km South-East · 21 km
10 months ago
30 Oct, 00:25
2.3
4 km South-West of Sala Baganza
13 km South-East · 20 km
10 months ago
29 Oct, 23:24

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Medesano is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 33% of the 44 towns in the province.
Medesano5
Nearby towns average53

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

Context

Province of Parma6 events · 30gEmilia-Romagna region45 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 034020

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Medesano?

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

Is Medesano a seismic area?

Medesano 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 Medesano?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Medesano was magnitude 4.4, in 2017.

When was the last quake near Medesano?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Medesano was 15 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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