Province of Campobasso

Earthquakes in Guardialfiera

1.4
very light
LATEST QUAKE

3 km South of Montelongo

19 days ago · 6 Aug, 14:28
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
18
days since the last quake nearby
1,185
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
5.1
The strongest within 30 km
3 km East of Palata
98 months ago · 16 Aug, 20:19

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

How seismic is this area?

Zone2
Seismic zone 2

A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

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

Medium
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 = 0.181 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
68
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
9
In the area
last 12 months
M5.1
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Guardialfiera plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 22 months ago · 1,120 inhabitants

The seismic history of Guardialfiera

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

  1. 2018V16 August 2018

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Molise earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 9 km away

  2. 2006IV29 May 2006

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

    Gargano earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 92 km away

  3. 2003IV30 December 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 20 km away

  4. 2003IV-V28 April 2003

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Molise earthquake (M3.6), epicentre 14 km away

  5. 2003IV27 January 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 12 km away

  6. 2002IV12 November 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 14 km away

  7. 2002V-VI1 November 2002

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 9 km away

  8. 1990IV5 May 1990

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

    Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 143 km away

  9. 1984IV7 May 1984

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

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 64 km away

  10. 1980V23 November 1980

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 115 km away

  11. 1962V21 August 1962

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.2), epicentre 66 km away

  12. 1688VII-VIII5 June 1688

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Sannio earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 62 km away

…and 5 more documented effects in this town's history.

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.

18056.7
Molise earthquake
26 July 1805 · 44 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16276.7
Capitanata earthquake
30 July 1627 · 46 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16276.0
Capitanata earthquake
7 August 1627 · 44 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
20025.7
Molise earthquake
31 October 2002 · 13 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Ripabottoni-San Severo

The town lies about 13 km from Ripabottoni-San Severo, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 6 and 25 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 20261eventmax 1.4
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.4
3 km South of Montelongo
17 km South-East · 11 km
19 days ago
6 Aug, 14:28
1.2
2 km West of Ripabottoni
15 km South · 9 km
3 months ago
10 Jun, 00:12
1.5
3 km North-East of Ripabottoni
14 km South-East · 27 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 15:32
1.0
3 km East of Palata
7 km North-East · 19 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 02:11
2.3
4 km West of Morrone del Sannio
11 km South-West · 11 km
4 months ago
1 May, 18:14
1.5
5 months ago
19 Mar, 11:21
2.1
2 km East of Montecilfone
12 km North-East · 13 km
7 months ago
1 Feb, 00:20
2.2
1 km South-West of Bonefro
16 km South-East · 20 km
7 months ago
21 Jan, 11:47
1.1
3 km North-East of Ripabottoni
15 km South-East · 18 km
9 months ago
14 Nov, 06:55
1.5
3 km East of Bonefro
18 km South-East · 15 km
14 months ago
29 Jun, 06:27

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Guardialfiera sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 94% of the 84 towns in the province.
Guardialfiera68
Nearby towns average74

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of Campobasso3 events · 30gMolise region16 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 070027

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Guardialfiera?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Guardialfiera area: the latest nearby dates back to 19 days ago.

Is Guardialfiera a seismic area?

Guardialfiera is classified in seismic zone 2 by the Civil Protection. A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

What was the strongest earthquake near Guardialfiera?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Guardialfiera was magnitude 5.1, in 2018.

When was the last quake near Guardialfiera?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Guardialfiera was 19 days 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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