Earthquakes in Busto Arsizio
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 = 0.038 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Busto Arsizio
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Busto Arsizio over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2011III17 July 2011
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Pianura lombardo-veneta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 208 km away
- 2008F23 December 2008
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 167 km away
- 1983IV9 November 1983
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 146 km away
- 1976F6 May 1976
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 338 km away
- 1972II-III25 October 1972
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 147 km away
- 1960II-III23 March 1960
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 106 km away
- 1920III7 September 1920
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 194 km away
- 1913NF25 November 1913
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Appennino parmense earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 158 km away
- 1898III4 March 1898
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 153 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 38 km from Western S-Alps external thrust shallow-west, 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?
Busto Arsizio 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 Varese0 events · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Busto Arsizio?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Busto Arsizio area: the latest nearby dates back to 139 months ago.
Is Busto Arsizio a seismic area?
Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Busto Arsizio was magnitude 3.8, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Busto Arsizio?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Busto Arsizio 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)