Earthquakes in Cantù
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.043 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Cantù sits in one of the most stable areas of Italy: far from the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, on ancient, rigid crust that hardly accumulates tectonic stress any more.
That is why earthquakes here are rare and almost always weak: a small geological privilege.
The “area” is Cantù plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Cantù
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Cantù over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2011III-IV17 July 2011
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Pianura lombardo-veneta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 192 km away
- 2002III13 November 2002
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Franciacorta earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 79 km away
- 2000NF21 August 2000
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 109 km away
- 1991III-IV20 November 1991
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 115 km away
- 1979V9 February 1979
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Bergamasco earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 35 km away
- 1961IV23 November 1961
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Prealpi bergamasche earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 35 km away
- 1960II23 March 1960
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 111 km away
- 1936III18 October 1936
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Alpago Cansiglio earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 254 km away
- 1917III9 December 1917
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Alta Engadina earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 95 km away
- 1901F30 October 1901
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Garda occidentale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 107 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 19 km from Western S-Alps internal thrust, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
1 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Cantù is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Como0 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Cantù?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Cantù area: the latest nearby dates back to 114 months ago.
Is Cantù a seismic area?
Cantù 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 Cantù?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Cantù was magnitude 3.8, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Cantù?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Cantù was 27 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)