Province of La Spezia

Earthquakes in Arcola

2.3
light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km North-East of Fosdinovo

3 days ago · 22 Aug, 17:55
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
1
days since the last quake nearby
728
quakes recorded since 2014
~6 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
1 km North-East of Fosdinovo
5 months ago · 25 Mar, 08:13

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.

Low
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 = 0.128 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
3
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
21
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Arcola plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 47 months ago · 10,316 inhabitants

The seismic history of Arcola

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

  1. 1996III-IV11 July 1996

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 6 km away

  2. 1995V10 October 1995

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

    Lunigiana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 7 km away

  3. 1904NF10 June 1904

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Frignano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 75 km away

  4. 1897NF6 September 1897

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Valdarno inferiore earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 70 km away

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.

19206.5
Garfagnana earthquake
7 September 1920 · 30 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18346.0
Val di Taro-Lunigiana earthquake
14 February 1834 · 37 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18375.9
Lunigiana earthquake
11 April 1837 · 23 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 46 km from here
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

Lunigiana

The town lies about 10 km from Lunigiana, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 1 and 10 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 20266eventsmax 3.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

2.3
2 km North-East of Fosdinovo
12 km North-East · 11 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 17:55
2.2
2 km North-East of Fosdinovo
12 km East · 11 km
8 days ago
17 Aug, 08:38
2.0
3 km East of Fosdinovo
13 km East · 9 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 13:42
1.6
4 km East of Fosdinovo
14 km East · 10 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 05:57
3.7
1 km North-East of Fosdinovo
11 km East · 10 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 05:49
0.6
2 km East of Santo Stefano di Magra
7 km North-East · 10 km
12 days ago
13 Aug, 09:30
1.6
3 km North-West of Fosdinovo
11 km North-East · 62 km
2 months ago
14 Jun, 12:30
1.2
2 km North of Fosdinovo
12 km North-East · 11 km
3 months ago
6 Jun, 08:29
0.9
3 km South-West of Lerici
6 km South · 8 km
3 months ago
27 May, 16:12
1.1
6 km North of Aulla
18 km North-East · 11 km
4 months ago
27 Apr, 01:42

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Arcola is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 55% of the 32 towns in the province.
Arcola3
Nearby towns average19

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

Context

Province of La Spezia1 events · 30gLiguria region13 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 011002

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Arcola?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Arcola area: the latest nearby dates back to 3 days ago.

Is Arcola a seismic area?

Arcola 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 Arcola?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Arcola was magnitude 3.9, in 2026.

When was the last quake near Arcola?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Arcola was 2 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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