Earthquakes in Santa Margherita Ligure
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 = 0.081 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Santa Margherita Ligure plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Santa Margherita Ligure
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Santa Margherita Ligure over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2001IV6 February 2001
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 53 km away
- 1995III-IV10 October 1995
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Lunigiana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 68 km away
- 1972IV-V25 October 1972
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 56 km away
- 1971IV25 September 1971
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 50 km away
- 1971III-IV15 July 1971
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 105 km away
- 1939F31 October 1939
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Lunigiana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 74 km away
- 1934IV13 June 1934
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Val di Taro-Lunigiana earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 43 km away
- 1920V7 September 1920
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 87 km away · observed at Convento di Cervara
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 121 km away
- 1909IV-V13 January 1909
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 199 km away
- 1908F9 May 1908
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Chiavari earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 9 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 108 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 38 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
41 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Santa Margherita Ligure 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 Santa Margherita Ligure?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Santa Margherita Ligure area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.
Is Santa Margherita Ligure a seismic area?
Santa Margherita Ligure 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 Santa Margherita Ligure?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Santa Margherita Ligure was magnitude 4.0, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Santa Margherita Ligure?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Santa Margherita Ligure was 9 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)