Earthquakes in Bistagno
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?
Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
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 = 0.050 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Bistagno 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 Bistagno plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Bistagno
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Bistagno over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2001IV18 July 2001
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 15 km away
- 2000V21 August 2000
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 26 km away
- 1993NF17 July 1993
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 54 km away
- 1989NF26 December 1989
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 146 km away
- 1906NF11 August 1906
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 106 km away
- 1905III30 May 1905
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 64 km away
- 1905NF29 April 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 183 km away
- 1887VI23 February 1887
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 92 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 44 km from Eastern Monferrato, 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
8 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Bistagno 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 Alessandria0 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Bistagno?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Bistagno area: the latest nearby dates back to 16 months ago.
Is Bistagno a seismic area?
Bistagno is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
What was the strongest earthquake near Bistagno?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Bistagno was magnitude 3.1, in 2015.
When was the last quake near Bistagno?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Bistagno was 1 month ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)