Province of Sondrio

Earthquakes in Morbegno

Low-seismicity area

No epicentres recorded in Morbegno in our archive. Here is the seismicity of the area and its surroundings.

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
31
days since the last quake nearby
32
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 months
on average, one quake every
3.3
The strongest within 30 km
7 km East of Villa di Chiavenna
110 months ago · 23 Aug, 09:30

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 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 = 0.052 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Why the ground rarely shakes here

Morbegno 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.

0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
In the area
last 12 months
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Morbegno plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Morbegno · 11,786 inhabitants

The seismic history of Morbegno

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

  1. 2008F23 December 2008

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 187 km away

  2. 1999III29 December 1999

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

    Alpi Retiche earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 71 km away

  3. 1991IV20 November 1991

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

    Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 66 km away

  4. 1983III9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 162 km away

  5. 1960III23 March 1960

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

    Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 124 km away

  6. 1927IV13 August 1927

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

    Alta Engadina earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 47 km away

  7. 1920III7 September 1920

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

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 224 km away

  8. 1919III16 September 1919

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

    Alta Valtellina earthquake (M3.5), epicentre 44 km away

  9. 1917IV-V9 December 1917

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Alta Engadina earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 39 km away

  10. 1891IV7 June 1891

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

    Valle d'Illasi earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 137 km away

  11. 1882III27 February 1882

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

    Valle Seriana earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 38 km away

  12. 1851V5 February 1851

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Valtellina earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 14 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.

19185.0
Lecchese earthquake
24 April 1918 · 38 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19614.9
Prealpi bergamasche earthquake
23 November 1961 · 42 km from here
16064.9
Bergamo earthquake
22 August 1606 · 50 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
15934.9
Bergamo earthquake
8 March 1593 · 50 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker 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 44 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

August 2026no events
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

0 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

No events in the selected period.

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Morbegno is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 77 towns in the province.
Morbegno0
Nearby towns average0

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

Context

Province of Sondrio5 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 014045

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Morbegno?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Morbegno area.

Is Morbegno a seismic area?

Morbegno 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 Morbegno?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Morbegno was magnitude 3.3, in 2017.

When was the last quake near Morbegno?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Morbegno was 1 month ago.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

We use cookies to analyse site traffic and improve your experience.

Privacy PolicyCookie Policy