Earthquakes in Ponza
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 = 0.045 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Ponza sits in one of the most stable areas of Italy: far from the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, on ancient, rigid crust that hardly accumulates tectonic stress any more.
That is why earthquakes here are rare and almost always weak: a small geological privilege.
The “area” is Ponza plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Ponza
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Ponza over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1919IV22 October 1919
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Anzio earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 66 km away
- 1915V13 January 1915
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Marsica earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 132 km away
- 1907V-VI3 March 1907
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ponza earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 5 km away
- 1899IV19 July 1899
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Colli Albani earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 100 km away
- 1899IV27 March 1899
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Tirreno centrale earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 34 km away
- 1892VI16 November 1892
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ponza earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 1 km away
- 1892V-VI16 November 1892
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ponza earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Palmarola
- 1848IV-V5 July 1848
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Isola di Ventotene earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 45 km away
- 1827V11 April 1827
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Isole Pontine earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 5 km away
- 1793VI25 July 1793
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isole Pontine earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 25 km away
- 1781V13 April 1781
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Isole Pontine earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 5 km away
- 1781V11 January 1781
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Isole Pontine earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 5 km away
…and 10 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 81 km from Ischia, 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?
Ponza 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 Latina1 events · 30gLazio region78 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Ponza?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ponza area: the latest nearby dates back to 14 days ago.
Is Ponza a seismic area?
Ponza 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 Ponza?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ponza was magnitude 3.8, in 2017.
When was the last quake near Ponza?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ponza was 9 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)