Earthquakes in Samolaco
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 = 0.046 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Samolaco 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 Samolaco plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Samolaco
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Samolaco over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1991IV20 November 1991
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 55 km away · observed at Samolaco (Era)
- 1961III23 November 1961
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Prealpi bergamasche earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 57 km away · observed at Samolaco (Era)
- 1960IV23 March 1960
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 106 km away · observed at Somaggia
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 54 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
9 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Samolaco 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 Sondrio5 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Samolaco?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Samolaco area: the latest nearby dates back to 16 months ago.
Is Samolaco a seismic area?
Samolaco 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 Samolaco?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Samolaco was magnitude 3.3, in 2017.
When was the last quake near Samolaco?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Samolaco was 13 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)