Province of Campobasso

Earthquakes in San Polo Matese

1.2
very light
LATEST QUAKE

3 km South of Cercepiccola

9 days ago · 15 Aug, 21:06
Depth 16 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
6
days since the last quake nearby
1,720
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 days
on average, one quake every
4.6
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North-West of Montagano
42 months ago · 28 Mar, 23:52

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

How seismic is this area?

Zone1
Seismic zone 1

The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

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

High
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 = 0.268 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
29
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
19
In the area
last 12 months
M4.3
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is San Polo Matese plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 11 months ago · 458 inhabitants

The seismic history of San Polo Matese

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

  1. 2013V29 December 2013

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

    Matese earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 9 km away

  2. 2003IV-V1 June 2003

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

    Molise earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 35 km away

  3. 1998NF15 August 1998

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Isernino earthquake (M3.5), epicentre 15 km away

  4. 1997III-IV22 April 1997

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

    Sannio-Matese earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 14 km away

  5. 1984V7 May 1984

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

    Monti della Meta earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 43 km away

  6. 1805X26 July 1805

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Molise earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 4 km away

  7. 1456X5 December 1456

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake (M7.2), epicentre 26 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.

14567.2
Appennino centro-meridionale earthquake
5 December 1456 · 26 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
16887.1
Sannio earthquake
5 June 1688 · 21 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
13496.8
Lazio-Molise earthquake
9 September 1349 · 47 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
18056.7
Molise earthquake
26 July 1805 · 4 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Miranda-Apice

The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 and 14 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 1.2
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.2
3 km South of Cercepiccola
15 km East · 16 km
9 days ago
15 Aug, 21:06
1.3
27 days ago
29 Jul, 00:29
1.0
2 km North of Cercepiccola
16 km East · 14 km
4 months ago
6 May, 21:45
1.2
5 months ago
17 Mar, 07:48
1.1
3 km South of Cercepiccola
15 km East · 16 km
6 months ago
5 Mar, 04:53
1.4
2 km South of Cercepiccola
15 km East · 16 km
6 months ago
4 Mar, 07:41
1.2
4 km South of Cercepiccola
17 km East · 11 km
6 months ago
27 Feb, 02:07
1.2
3 km West of Spinete
8 km North · 11 km
6 months ago
24 Feb, 17:12
1.0
2 km North of Casalciprano
15 km North · 11 km
6 months ago
24 Feb, 02:28
1.3
3 km North-East of Casalciprano
15 km North-East · 18 km
6 months ago
22 Feb, 17:40

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

San Polo Matese records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 76% of the 84 towns in the province.
San Polo Matese29
Nearby towns average71

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: 070071

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in San Polo Matese?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the San Polo Matese area: the latest nearby dates back to 9 days ago.

Is San Polo Matese a seismic area?

San Polo Matese is classified in seismic zone 1 by the Civil Protection. The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

What was the strongest earthquake near San Polo Matese?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of San Polo Matese was magnitude 4.6, in 2023.

When was the last quake near San Polo Matese?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of San Polo Matese was 6 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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