Province of Savona

Earthquakes in Varazze

1.6
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km West of Tiglieto

2 months ago · 5 Jul, 16:40
Depth 10 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
11
days since the last quake nearby
250
quakes recorded since 2014
~17 days
on average, one quake every
3.1
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North-East of Rossiglione
132 months ago · 10 Oct, 22:18

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone4
Seismic zone 4

The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.

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 = 0.053 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
1
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
13
In the area
last 12 months
M3.1
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Varazze plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 11 months ago · 13,461 inhabitants

The seismic history of Varazze

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

  1. 2001IV6 February 2001

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 36 km away

  2. 2000IV-V21 August 2000

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

    Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 60 km away

  3. 1972IV25 October 1972

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

    Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 104 km away

  4. 1971V-VI25 September 1971

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 32 km away

  5. 1970IV31 December 1970

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 44 km away

  6. 1924IV-V21 September 1924

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

    Genovese earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 34 km away

  7. 1897V6 July 1897

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

    Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 8 km away

  8. 1887VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 72 km away · observed at Alpicella

  9. 1887VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 72 km away · observed at Casanova

  10. 1887VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 72 km away · observed at Castagnabuona

  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 72 km away · observed at Piani d'Invrea

  12. 1887VII23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 72 km away

…and 12 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.

15415.3
Valle Scrivia earthquake
22 October 1541 · 50 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
16805.1
Valle Scrivia earthquake
30 April 1680 · 39 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
17675.0
Genovese earthquake
7 February 1767 · 20 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
20034.8
Valle Scrivia earthquake
11 April 2003 · 48 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Imperia Promontory

The town lies about 19 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

July 20261eventmax 1.6
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.6
1 km West of Tiglieto
14 km North-East · 10 km
2 months ago
5 Jul, 16:40
0.7
2 km West of Vado Ligure
21 km South-West · 10 km
2 months ago
30 Jun, 10:32
1.7
2 km North of Giusvalla
16 km North-West · 9 km
3 months ago
31 May, 00:00
0.2
2 km West of Altare
22 km West · 5 km
3 months ago
19 May, 12:22
2.0
2 km North of Rossiglione
22 km North-East · 9 km
4 months ago
22 Apr, 06:46
1.3
2 km South-East of Tiglieto
14 km North-East · 9 km
5 months ago
17 Mar, 01:58
2.0
1 km East of Tiglieto
15 km North-East · 7 km
5 months ago
16 Mar, 21:44
1.7
1 km South-East of Tiglieto
14 km North-East · 8 km
5 months ago
16 Mar, 21:44
1.2
4 km North-East of Rossiglione
24 km North-East · 10 km
6 months ago
7 Mar, 02:35
0.6
9 km East of Bergeggi
20 km South · 12 km
11 months ago
28 Sept, 03:30

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Varazze is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 28% of the 69 towns in the province.
Varazze1
Nearby towns average9

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: 009065

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Varazze?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Varazze area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Varazze a seismic area?

Varazze is classified in seismic zone 4 by the Civil Protection. The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.

What was the strongest earthquake near Varazze?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Varazze was magnitude 3.1, in 2015.

When was the last quake near Varazze?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Varazze was 11 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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