Province of Sondrio

Earthquakes in Villa di Chiavenna

1.5
very light
LATEST QUAKE

Svizzera (SVIZZERA)

2 months ago · 11 Jul, 06:00
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
31
days since the last quake nearby
65
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 months
on average, one quake every
3.5
The strongest within 30 km
18 km North-East of Piuro
120 months ago · 7 Oct, 09:27

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 = 0.059 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
1
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
3
In the area
last 12 months
M3.5
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Villa di Chiavenna plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 110 months ago · 1,030 inhabitants

The seismic history of Villa di Chiavenna

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

  1. 2001NF17 July 2001

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Val Venosta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 128 km away

  2. 1999III29 December 1999

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

    Alpi Retiche earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 67 km away

  3. 1991IV-V20 November 1991

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

    Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 46 km away

  4. 1983III9 November 1983

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 184 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.

18514.7
Valtellina earthquake
5 February 1851 · 27 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19914.7
Grigioni, Vaz earthquake
20 November 1991 · 46 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
15124.6
Valchiavenna earthquake
8 February 1512 · 7 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19174.6
Alta Engadina earthquake
9 December 1917 · 27 km from here
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 62 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

July 20261eventmax 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

42 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.5
Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
44 km North-East · 11 km
2 months ago
11 Jul, 06:00
0.8
Confine Italia-Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
32 km North-East · 10 km
2 months ago
27 Jun, 02:26
0.6
Confine Italia-Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
37 km North-East · 10 km
5 months ago
4 Apr, 03:49
1.1
17 km North-East of Piuro
25 km North · 12 km
17 months ago
11 Apr, 11:55
1.0
20 km North-East of Piuro
28 km North · 16 km
17 months ago
26 Mar, 02:36
1.7
19 km North-East of Piuro
27 km North · 10 km
17 months ago
20 Mar, 10:37
1.6
24 km North-East of Piuro
32 km North · 6 km
20 months ago
3 Jan, 15:29
1.1
26 months ago
7 Jul, 06:26
1.2
Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
36 km North-East · 8 km
26 months ago
29 Jun, 13:36
1.8
11 km West of Campodolcino
23 km West · 9 km
29 months ago
27 Mar, 23:52

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Villa di Chiavenna records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 68% of the 77 towns in the province.
Villa di Chiavenna1
Nearby towns average3.4

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: 014077

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Villa di Chiavenna?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Villa di Chiavenna area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Villa di Chiavenna a seismic area?

Villa di Chiavenna 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 Villa di Chiavenna?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Villa di Chiavenna was magnitude 3.5, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Villa di Chiavenna?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Villa di Chiavenna 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)

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