Province of Imperia

Earthquakes in Dolceacqua

0.4
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km North-East of Ceriana

6 days ago · 19 Aug, 06:31
Depth 9 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
6
days since the last quake nearby
389
quakes recorded since 2014
~11 days
on average, one quake every
3.6
The strongest within 30 km
17 km West of Olivetta San Michele
18 months ago · 18 Mar, 18:45

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 = 0.150 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
2
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
28
In the area
last 12 months
M3.8
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Dolceacqua plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 28 days ago · 1,990 inhabitants

The seismic history of Dolceacqua

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

  1. 2001V25 February 2001

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 47 km away

  2. 1993NF17 July 1993

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 63 km away

  3. 1989IV26 December 1989

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 41 km away

  4. 1963III19 July 1963

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 73 km away

  5. 1917III7 January 1917

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Savonese earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 82 km away

  6. 1906IV-V11 August 1906

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 26 km away

  7. 1905IV30 May 1905

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Cuneese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 62 km away

  8. 1903III4 April 1903

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 59 km away

  9. 1897II12 October 1897

    Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 20 km away

  10. 1896III16 October 1896

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 92 km away

  11. 1887VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 31 km away

  12. 1806VI31 March 1806

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 12 km away

…and 3 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.

18876.3
Liguria occidentale earthquake
23 February 1887 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
15645.8
Lantosque earthquake
20 July 1564 · 31 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
16445.7
Alpes Niçoises earthquake
15 February 1644 · 32 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18545.7
Liguria occidentale earthquake
29 December 1854 · 49 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

Imperia Promontory

The town lies about 20 km from Imperia Promontory, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.4between 3 and 15 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

August 20262eventsmax 0.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.4
1 km North-East of Ceriana
15 km East · 9 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 06:31
0.9
17 km North-West of Rocchetta Nervina
20 km North-West · 10 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 08:01
0.4
2 km South of Dolceacqua
2 km South · 5 km
28 days ago
28 Jul, 12:32
1.7
Mare di Corsica [Mare]
51 km South-East · 32 km
1 month ago
23 Jul, 17:05
1.7
Mare di Corsica [Mare]
51 km South-East · 32 km
1 month ago
23 Jul, 17:05
1.3
12 km South-East of Bordighera
24 km South-East · 9 km
2 months ago
4 Jul, 19:45
0.7
2 months ago
14 Jun, 02:19
1.2
1 km North-East of Triora
20 km North-East · 10 km
4 months ago
10 May, 19:36
2.1
Costa Francese (FRANCIA)
170 km South-West · 10 km
4 months ago
7 May, 18:01
2.1
Costa Francese (FRANCIA)
176 km South-West · 6 km
4 months ago
5 May, 15:01

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Dolceacqua is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 49% of the 66 towns in the province.
Dolceacqua2
Nearby towns average32

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

Context

Province of Imperia5 events · 30gLiguria region13 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 008029

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Dolceacqua?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Dolceacqua area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 days ago.

Is Dolceacqua a seismic area?

Dolceacqua 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 Dolceacqua?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Dolceacqua was magnitude 3.6, in 2025.

When was the last quake near Dolceacqua?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Dolceacqua was 6 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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