Province of Varese

Earthquakes today in Porto Ceresio

Today, within 30 km: no earthquakes recorded (updated at 14:09). Latest: M2.0 on 26 August 2024 at 03:05, outside Italy, 11 km deep.

2.0
light

Latest earthquake within 30 km

7 km West of Cavargna

2 years ago · 26 Aug 2024, 03:05
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity within 30 km

30 km radius
778
days since the last quake within 30 km
11
quakes recorded since 2015
~13 months
on average, one quake every
2.5
The strongest within 30 km
3 km North of Oliveto Lario
2 years ago · 21 Jun 2024, 04:09

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

How seismic is Porto Ceresio: 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

Porto Ceresio 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 Laino Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
Within 30 km
last 12 months
M2.5
Strongest since 2015
Within 30 km

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

No epicentre attributed to Porto Ceresio in the INGV catalogue since 2015 · 3,001 inhabitants

The seismic history of Porto Ceresio

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

  1. 2008III-IV23 December 2008

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

    Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 189 km away

  2. 1993NF14 June 1993

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 49 km away

  3. 1991NF20 November 1991

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 103 km away

  4. 1887III23 February 1887

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

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 236 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 · 46 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19185.0
Lecchese earthquake
24 April 1918 · 44 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 · 49 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
19234.3
Ticino, Bellinzona earthquake
9 November 1923 · 35 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 41 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

October 2026no events
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul
Oct

Earthquake map within 30 km

11 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Latest earthquakes within 30 km

2.0
7 km West of Cavargna
25 km North-East · 11 km
2 years ago
26 Aug 2024, 03:05
1.2
1 km North of Barni
28 km East · 10 km
2 years ago
21 Jun 2024, 04:44
1.8
1 km North-East of Barni
28 km East · 10 km
2 years ago
21 Jun 2024, 04:37
2.5
3 km North of Oliveto Lario
29 km East · 7 km
2 years ago
21 Jun 2024, 04:09
1.8
1 km North-East of Barni
28 km East · 11 km
2 years ago
21 Jun 2024, 02:31
1.3
1 km North of Barni
28 km East · 10 km
2 years ago
21 Jun 2024, 01:14
1.8
3 years ago
18 Jun 2023, 21:56
1.5
1 km North of Cusino
29 km North-East · 9 km
5 years ago
19 Sept 2021, 00:57
1.4
1 km West of Laino
17 km East · 9 km
7 years ago
21 Oct 2018, 07:56
2.4
1 km East of Novedrate
30 km South-East · 33 km
9 years ago
29 Apr 2017, 01:30

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Porto Ceresio 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.
Porto Ceresio0
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: 012113

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes near Porto Ceresio today?

No, no quakes were recorded today within 30 km of Porto Ceresio. The latest dates back to 26 August 2024.

Is Porto Ceresio a seismic area?

Porto Ceresio 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 Porto Ceresio?

In the INGV catalogue since 2015, the strongest earthquake within 30 km of Porto Ceresio was magnitude 2.5, on 21 June 2024.

When was the last quake near Porto Ceresio?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Porto Ceresio dates back to 26 August 2024, magnitude 2.0.

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)