Province of Savona

Earthquakes in Altare

0.8
very light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km South-West of Bormida

13 days ago · 12 Aug, 17:58
Depth 9 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
12
days since the last quake nearby
549
quakes recorded since 2014
~8 days
on average, one quake every
2.4
The strongest within 30 km
1 km North-West of Tovo San Giacomo
139 months ago · 10 Apr, 05:48

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 = 0.058 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
6
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
9
In the area
last 12 months
M2.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Altare plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 3 months ago · 2,127 inhabitants

The seismic history of Altare

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

  1. 2001IV-V6 February 2001

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 37 km away

  2. 1993IV17 July 1993

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 15 km away

  3. 1989II-III26 December 1989

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 110 km away

  4. 1968F18 April 1968

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 38 km away

  5. 1917II1 May 1917

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 26 km away

  6. 1917V7 January 1917

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

    Savonese earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 6 km away

  7. 1904IV16 January 1904

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

    Campo Ligure earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 20 km away

  8. 1898III4 March 1898

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 157 km away

  9. 1896IV16 October 1896

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 69 km away

  10. 1895III7 August 1895

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

    Appennino tosco-emiliano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 202 km away

  11. 1889III8 March 1889

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

    Bolognese earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 237 km away

  12. 1887VI-VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 55 km away

…and 2 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.

17675.0
Genovese earthquake
7 February 1767 · 38 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
19684.9
Liguria occidentale earthquake
18 April 1968 · 38 km from here
19194.9
Alpi Marittime earthquake
28 November 1919 · 48 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
12764.8
Monferrato earthquake
29 July 1276 · 36 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Imperia Promontory

The town lies about 24 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

0.8
2 km South-West of Bormida
12 km South-West · 9 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 17:58
0.9
3 km South-West of Bormida
12 km South-West · 9 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 16:49
0.7
2 km West of Vado Ligure
8 km South-East · 10 km
2 months ago
30 Jun, 10:32
1.7
2 km North of Giusvalla
17 km North-East · 9 km
3 months ago
31 May, 00:00
0.2
2 km West of Altare
2 km West · 5 km
3 months ago
19 May, 12:22
1.7
6 months ago
12 Feb, 05:10
1.4
9 months ago
16 Nov, 10:36
0.6
9 km East of Bergeggi
21 km South-East · 12 km
11 months ago
28 Sept, 03:30
1.5
12 months ago
8 Sept, 07:07
1.6
13 months ago
15 Aug, 19:20

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Altare records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 69% of the 69 towns in the province.
Altare6
Nearby towns average21

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

Context

Province of Savona5 events · 30gLiguria region13 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 009005

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Altare?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Altare area: the latest nearby dates back to 13 days ago.

Is Altare a seismic area?

Altare 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 Altare?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Altare was magnitude 2.4, in 2015.

When was the last quake near Altare?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Altare was 13 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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