Earthquakes in Merana
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
Merana 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 Merana plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Merana
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Merana over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2000III-IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 45 km away
- 1993III-IV17 July 1993
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 35 km away
- 1989NF26 December 1989
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 127 km away
- 1971F25 September 1971
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 53 km away
- 1897IV6 July 1897
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 30 km away
- 1887VII23 February 1887
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 73 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 41 km from Imperia Promontory, 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
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Merana records more quakes than the average of its province.
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 Merana?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Merana area: the latest nearby dates back to 1 month ago.
Is Merana a seismic area?
Merana 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 Merana?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Merana was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Merana?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Merana was 13 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)