Province of Campobasso

Earthquakes in Palata

1.6
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km North-East of Ururi

2 months ago · 11 Jul, 10:39
Depth 14 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
18
days since the last quake nearby
1,112
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 = 0.156 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
511
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
4
In the area
last 12 months
M5.1
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Palata plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 3 months ago · 1,769 inhabitants

The seismic history of Palata

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Palata 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 3 km away

  2. 2006III-IV29 May 2006

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

    Gargano earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 89 km away

  3. 2005III1 March 2005

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

    Molise earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 23 km away

  4. 2003III-IV30 December 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 26 km away

  5. 2003IV1 June 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 24 km away

  6. 2003III28 April 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M3.6), epicentre 20 km away

  7. 2003III-IV27 January 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M3.8), epicentre 19 km away

  8. 2002IV12 November 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 21 km away

  9. 2002V-VI1 November 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 15 km away

  10. 2002IV-V31 October 2002

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

    Molise earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 18 km away

  11. 1984IV7 May 1984

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

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 68 km away

  12. 1980V23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 121 km away

…and 12 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.

16276.7
Capitanata earthquake
30 July 1627 · 45 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16276.0
Capitanata earthquake
7 August 1627 · 43 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
16576.0
Capitanata earthquake
29 January 1657 · 50 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
20025.7
Molise earthquake
31 October 2002 · 18 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 19 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

July 20261eventmax 1.6
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.6
4 km North-East of Ururi
20 km East · 14 km
2 months ago
11 Jul, 10:39
1.0
3 km East of Palata
3 km East · 19 km
3 months ago
1 Jun, 02:11
2.3
4 km West of Morrone del Sannio
18 km South-West · 11 km
4 months ago
1 May, 18:14
2.1
2 km East of Montecilfone
5 km North-East · 13 km
7 months ago
1 Feb, 00:20
1.5
15 km North-East of Termoli
30 km North-East · 9 km
13 months ago
9 Aug, 13:45
1.3
4 km South-East of Casacalenda
16 km South · 10 km
14 months ago
18 Jun, 16:41
1.5
3 km South-East of Palata
3 km South-East · 15 km
21 months ago
13 Dec, 08:09
1.2
4 km South-East of Palata
4 km South-East · 15 km
21 months ago
12 Dec, 16:02
1.7
3 km East of Palata
3 km East · 15 km
21 months ago
11 Dec, 01:46
1.8
4 km South-East of Palata
4 km South-East · 15 km
22 months ago
12 Nov, 06:03

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Palata 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 100% of the 84 towns in the province.
Palata511
Nearby towns average28

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: 070050

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Palata?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Palata area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Palata a seismic area?

Palata 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 Palata?

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

When was the last quake near Palata?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Palata 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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