Earthquakes in Mortara
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
Mortara 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 Mortara plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Mortara
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Mortara over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2008III-IV23 December 2008
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 148 km away
- 2000III-IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 48 km away
- 1993NF17 July 1993
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 124 km away
- 1983IV9 November 1983
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 131 km away
- 1972IV25 October 1972
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 121 km away
- 1960III23 March 1960
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 137 km away
- 1920IV7 September 1920
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 169 km away
- 1905NF29 April 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 160 km away
- 1891IV-V7 June 1891
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle d'Illasi earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 191 km away
- 1887V23 February 1887
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 163 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 18 km from Eastern Monferrato, 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?
Mortara 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 Pavia0 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Mortara?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Mortara area: the latest nearby dates back to 126 months ago.
Is Mortara a seismic area?
Mortara 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 Mortara?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Mortara was magnitude 2.6, in 2019.
When was the last quake near Mortara?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Mortara was 20 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)