Earthquakes in Saronno
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 = 0.042 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Saronno 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 Saronno plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Saronno
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Saronno over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2008F23 December 2008
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 158 km away
- 1983IV9 November 1983
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 136 km away
- 1960II23 March 1960
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 114 km away
- 1951F15 May 1951
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Lodigiano earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 63 km away
- 1908NF24 May 1908
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Piemonte centro-settentrionale earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 77 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 25 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?
Saronno 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 Saronno?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Saronno area: the latest nearby dates back to 71 months ago.
Is Saronno a seismic area?
Saronno 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 Saronno?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Saronno was magnitude 3.8, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Saronno?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Saronno 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)