Earthquakes in Chiavari
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 = 0.095 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Chiavari plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Chiavari
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Chiavari over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1980IV23 December 1980
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Piacentino earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 65 km away
- 1976IV-V22 August 1976
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Alta Val di Taro earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 39 km away
- 1972V25 October 1972
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 47 km away
- 1951IV15 May 1951
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Lodigiano earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 102 km away
- 1934IV13 June 1934
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Val di Taro-Lunigiana earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 34 km away
- 1929IV-V11 May 1929
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Bolognese earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 143 km away
- 1920VI7 September 1920
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 78 km away
- 1908V9 May 1908
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chiavari earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 2 km away
- 1902V4 August 1902
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lunigiana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 80 km away
- 1887VI23 February 1887
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 117 km away
- 1873VI17 September 1873
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Appennino tosco-ligure earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 44 km away
- 1637V-VI20 November 1637
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Chiavari earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 2 km away
…and 69 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 31 km from Lunigiana, 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
50 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Chiavari 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 Genova2 events · 30gLiguria region13 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Chiavari?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Chiavari area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.
Is Chiavari a seismic area?
Chiavari 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 Chiavari?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Chiavari was magnitude 4.0, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Chiavari?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Chiavari was 10 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)