Earthquakes in Erba
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 = 0.044 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Erba 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 Erba plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Erba
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Erba over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2008F23 December 2008
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 167 km away
- 2004V24 November 2004
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Garda occidentale earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 102 km away
- 2002III-IV13 November 2002
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Franciacorta earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 74 km away
- 1983IV9 November 1983
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 144 km away
- 1961IV23 November 1961
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Prealpi bergamasche earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 30 km away
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 238 km away
- 1914III-IV26 October 1914
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Torinese earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 168 km away
- 1909V13 January 1909
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 238 km away
- 1901V30 October 1901
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Garda occidentale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 102 km away
- 1901F30 October 1901
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Garda occidentale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 102 km away · observed at Carpesino
- 1894IV27 November 1894
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Bresciano earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 76 km away
- 1887III20 May 1887
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Lecchese earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 11 km away
…and 3 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 15 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?
Erba 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 Erba?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Erba area: the latest nearby dates back to 140 months ago.
Is Erba a seismic area?
Erba 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 Erba?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Erba was magnitude 2.5, in 2024.
When was the last quake near Erba?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Erba was 14 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)