Province of Sondrio

Earthquakes in Chiesa in Valmalenco

0.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

12 km North of Chiesa in Valmalenco

4 months ago · 8 Feb, 08:05
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
125
days since the last quake nearby
123
quakes recorded since 2015
~34 days
on average, one quake every
3.3
The strongest within 30 km
7 km East of Villa di Chiavenna
107 months ago · 23 Aug, 09:30

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~11 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone3
Seismic zone 3

Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

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 = 0.110 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
18
In the town
total on record
3
In the town
last 12 months
4
In the area
last 12 months
M2.8
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Chiesa in Valmalenco plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 4 months ago · 2,591 inhabitants

The seismic history of Chiesa in Valmalenco

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

  1. 2001III17 July 2001

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Val Venosta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 107 km away

  2. 1999II31 December 1999

    Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.

    Alpi Retiche earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 49 km away

  3. 1999III-IV29 December 1999

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

    Alpi Retiche earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 47 km away

  4. 1991IV20 November 1991

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

    Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 52 km away

  5. 1927IV13 August 1927

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

    Alta Engadina earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 23 km away

  6. 1882III27 February 1882

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Valle Seriana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 49 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.

18275.0
Bassa Engadina, Ardez earthquake
2 April 1827 · 50 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
18824.8
Valle Seriana earthquake
27 February 1882 · 49 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
19994.8
Alpi Retiche earthquake
29 December 1999 · 47 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
18514.7
Valtellina earthquake
5 February 1851 · 17 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Western S-Alps internal thrust

The town lies about 66 km from Western S-Alps internal thrust, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 5 and 12 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

February 20261eventmax 0.7
Jul
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.7
4 months ago
8 Feb, 08:05
0.8
14 km North-East of Lanzada
19 km North-East · 11 km
11 months ago
2 Aug, 16:48
0.6
11 months ago
27 Jul, 02:48
1.0
11 months ago
18 Jul, 16:21
0.8
14 months ago
14 Apr, 23:07
1.4
16 months ago
1 Mar, 09:58
1.6
4 km West of Lanzada
4 km East · 10 km
18 months ago
6 Dec, 16:50
1.1
4 km North-East of Buglio in Monte
8 km South-West · 7 km
24 months ago
7 Jul, 06:26
0.8
18 km North of Lanzada
21 km North-East · 11 km
24 months ago
21 Jun, 11:02
1.0
3 km West of Lanzada
6 km East · 10 km
31 months ago
14 Nov, 16:02

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Chiesa in Valmalenco sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 91% of the 77 towns in the province.
Chiesa in Valmalenco18
Nearby towns average5

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of Sondrio2 events · 30gLombardy region2 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 014019

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Chiesa in Valmalenco?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Chiesa in Valmalenco area: the latest nearby dates back to 4 months ago.

Is Chiesa in Valmalenco a seismic area?

Chiesa in Valmalenco is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

What was the strongest earthquake near Chiesa in Valmalenco?

In the last ~11 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Chiesa in Valmalenco was magnitude 3.3, in 2017.

When was the last quake near Chiesa in Valmalenco?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Chiesa in Valmalenco was 4 months 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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