Province of Varese

Earthquakes in Marchirolo

Low-seismicity area

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

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
729
days since the last quake nearby
7
quakes recorded since 2014
~1.7 years
on average, one quake every
2.3
The strongest within 30 km
1 km East of Faggeto Lario
140 months ago · 16 Feb, 15:06

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

How seismic is this area?

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 = 0.039 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Why the ground rarely shakes here

Marchirolo 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 Marchirolo plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Marchirolo · 3,381 inhabitants

The seismic history of Marchirolo

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

  1. 1993III14 June 1993

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

    Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 43 km away

  2. 1991II-III20 November 1991

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

    Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 102 km away

  3. 1917IV9 December 1917

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

    Alta Engadina earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 93 km away

  4. 1905IV29 April 1905

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

    Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 142 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.

19185.0
Lecchese earthquake
24 April 1918 · 50 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19934.3
Val d'Ossola earthquake
14 June 1993 · 43 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19514.3
Vallemaggia, Cevio earthquake
16 May 1951 · 46 km from here
19234.3
Ticino, Bellinzona earthquake
9 November 1923 · 33 km from here

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 48 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?

Marchirolo 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.
Marchirolo0
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 · 30gLombardy region11 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 012097

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Marchirolo?

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

Is Marchirolo a seismic area?

Marchirolo 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 Marchirolo?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Marchirolo was magnitude 2.3, in 2015.

When was the last quake near Marchirolo?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Marchirolo was 24 months 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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