Earthquakes in Sesto Calende
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
Sesto Calende 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 Sesto Calende plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Sesto Calende
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Sesto Calende over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2011IV17 July 2011
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Pianura lombardo-veneta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 229 km away
- 2008IV23 December 2008
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 189 km away
- 1851IV-V5 February 1851
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valtellina earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 100 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 57 km from Western S-Alps internal thrust, 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?
Sesto Calende 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 Sesto Calende?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Sesto Calende area: the latest nearby dates back to 39 months ago.
Is Sesto Calende a seismic area?
Sesto Calende 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 Sesto Calende?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Sesto Calende was magnitude 1.8, in 2023.
When was the last quake near Sesto Calende?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Sesto Calende was 39 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)