Earthquakes in Formia
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 = 0.087 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Formia plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Formia
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Formia over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2005III-IV22 August 2005
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Costa laziale earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 99 km away
- 1984V-VI7 May 1984
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 56 km away
- 1983IV12 August 1983
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monti della Meta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 54 km away
- 1980IV23 November 1980
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 147 km away
- 1962IV21 August 1962
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 111 km away
- 1915VI-VII13 January 1915
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 82 km away
- 1901V31 July 1901
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Sorano earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 50 km away
- 1873V12 July 1873
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val Comino earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 47 km away
- 1872IV12 December 1872
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Cassinese earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 18 km away
- 1857IV16 December 1857
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 213 km away
- 1805VI26 July 1805
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Molise earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 75 km away
- 1456VII5 December 1456
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 91 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 39 km from Venafro, 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?
Formia is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Latina1 events · 30gLazio region79 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Formia?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Formia area: the latest nearby dates back to 3 months ago.
Is Formia a seismic area?
Formia 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 Formia?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Formia was magnitude 3.6, in 2024.
When was the last quake near Formia?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Formia was 13 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)