Province of Varese

Earthquakes today in Cairate

Today, within 30 km: no earthquakes recorded (updated at 11:41). Latest: M1.5 on 1 January 2025 at 23:47, 2 km North-West of Cassinetta di Lugagnano, 12 km deep.

1.5
very light

Latest earthquake within 30 km

2 km North-West of Cassinetta di Lugagnano

1 year ago · 1 Jan 2025, 23:47
Depth 12 km

Seismic activity within 30 km

30 km radius
650
days since the last quake within 30 km
6
quakes recorded since 2015
~2.0 years
on average, one quake every
2.6
The strongest within 30 km
1 km South-West of Magenta
7 years ago · 20 May 2019, 08:47

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is Cairate: zone 4

Zone4
Seismic zone 4

The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

Very 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 = 0.038 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Why the ground rarely shakes here

Cairate 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.

Closest earthquake
Go to Buscate Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
Within 30 km
last 12 months
M2.6
Strongest since 2015
Within 30 km

“Within 30 km”: epicentres less than 30 km from the centre of Cairate. “In the town”: quakes whose nearest town to the epicentre is Cairate.

No epicentre attributed to Cairate in the INGV catalogue since 2015 · 7,830 inhabitants

The seismic history of Cairate

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

  1. 2002NF13 November 2002

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Franciacorta earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 99 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.

13965.3
Monza earthquake
26 November 1396 · 34 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19185.0
Lecchese earthquake
24 April 1918 · 48 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19184.6
Pianura lombarda earthquake
13 January 1918 · 26 km from here
IV-VRather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
13044.4
Pianura lombarda earthquake
18 December 1304 · 38 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 38 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).

Over time within 30 km

January 20251eventmax 1.5
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul
Oct

Earthquake map within 30 km

6 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Latest earthquakes within 30 km

1.5
1 year ago
1 Jan 2025, 23:47
1.8
1 km North-West of Travedona-Monate
21 km North-West · 24 km
3 years ago
18 Jun 2023, 21:56
1.8
1 km South of Caronno Pertusella
19 km South-East · 35 km
5 years ago
19 Oct 2020, 21:49
2.6
1 km South-West of Magenta
27 km South · 24 km
7 years ago
20 May 2019, 08:47
2.4
1 km East of Novedrate
22 km East · 33 km
9 years ago
29 Apr 2017, 01:30
1.4
2 km South-West of Buscate
18 km South-West · 37 km
11 years ago
22 Mar 2015, 06:14

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

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

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 138 towns in the province.
Cairate0
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 Varese0 events · last 30 daysLombardy region14 events · last 30 days
ISTAT code: 012029

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes near Cairate today?

No, no quakes were recorded today within 30 km of Cairate. The latest dates back to 1 January 2025.

Is Cairate a seismic area?

Cairate 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 Cairate?

In the INGV catalogue since 2015, the strongest earthquake within 30 km of Cairate was magnitude 2.6, on 20 May 2019.

When was the last quake near Cairate?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Cairate dates back to 1 January 2025, magnitude 1.5.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Sources:INGV earthquake catalogueDBMI15 macroseismic historyCivil Protection seismic classification

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