Province of Savona

Earthquakes in Vado Ligure

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
548
quakes recorded since 2014
~8 days
on average, one quake every
2.5
The strongest within 30 km
20 km South-East of Borgio Verezzi
48 months ago · 26 Sept, 13:49

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 = 0.059 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
8
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
13
In the area
last 12 months
M2.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Vado Ligure plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 2 months ago · 8,232 inhabitants

The seismic history of Vado Ligure

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

  1. 1996IV-V25 November 1996

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 13 km away

  2. 1993IV-V17 July 1993

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 14 km away

  3. 1989III-IV26 December 1989

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 108 km away

  4. 1972IV25 October 1972

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

    Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 120 km away

  5. 1971IV-V25 September 1971

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 26 km away

  6. 1970V31 December 1970

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 25 km away

  7. 1968IV7 September 1968

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

    Savonese earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 7 km away

  8. 1968F18 April 1968

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 37 km away

  9. 1905IV30 May 1905

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

    Cuneese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 63 km away

  10. 1903IV-V4 April 1903

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 49 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 52 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 52 km away · observed at Segno

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.

18185.3
Liguria occidentale earthquake
23 February 1818 · 48 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
17675.0
Genovese earthquake
7 February 1767 · 39 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 · 37 km from here
18074.8
Liguria occidentale earthquake
5 September 1807 · 50 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 15 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
14 km West · 9 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 17:58
0.9
3 km South-West of Bormida
14 km West · 9 km
13 days ago
12 Aug, 16:49
1.1
2 km North-East of Pietra Ligure
15 km South-West · 9 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 02:19
0.7
2 km West of Vado Ligure
2 km West · 10 km
2 months ago
30 Jun, 10:32
0.2
2 km West of Altare
10 km North-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
13 km East · 12 km
11 months ago
28 Sept, 03:30
1.5
12 months ago
8 Sept, 07:07
2.3
2 km North of Pietra Ligure
15 km South-West · 10 km
12 months ago
27 Aug, 06:47

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Vado Ligure records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 76% of the 69 towns in the province.
Vado Ligure8
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 Savona5 events · 30gLiguria region13 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 009064

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Vado Ligure?

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

Is Vado Ligure a seismic area?

Vado 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 Vado Ligure?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Vado Ligure was magnitude 2.5, in 2022.

When was the last quake near Vado Ligure?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Vado Ligure 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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