Earthquakes in Rho
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
Rho 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 Rho plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Rho
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Rho over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2000III21 August 2000
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 86 km away
- 1983NF9 November 1983
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 128 km away
- 1961NF23 November 1961
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Prealpi bergamasche earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 49 km away
- 1960III23 March 1960
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 123 km away
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 217 km away
- 1909NF13 January 1909
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 232 km away
- 1908NF24 May 1908
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Piemonte centro-settentrionale earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 76 km away
- 1905NF29 April 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 167 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 20 km from Western S-Alps external thrust shallow-west, 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?
Rho 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 Milano0 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Rho?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Rho area: the latest nearby dates back to 71 months ago.
Is Rho a seismic area?
Rho 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 Rho?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Rho was magnitude 3.8, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Rho?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Rho was 10 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)