Province of Alessandria

Earthquakes in Montecastello

1.6
very light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km East of Bassignana

36 months ago · 12 Sept, 15:41
Depth 36 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
419
days since the last quake nearby
46
quakes recorded since 2014
~3 months
on average, one quake every
3.1
The strongest within 30 km
3 km West of Serravalle Scrivia
72 months ago · 11 Sept, 11:28

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

How seismic is this area?

Zone3
Seismic zone 3

Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

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

Low
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 = 0.061 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
2
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
In the area
last 12 months
M2.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Montecastello plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 69 months ago · 324 inhabitants

The seismic history of Montecastello

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

  1. 2001IV18 July 2001

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

    Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 28 km away

  2. 2000III21 August 2000

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

    Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), 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.

18285.7
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake
9 October 1828 · 31 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
15415.3
Valle Scrivia earthquake
22 October 1541 · 28 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19455.1
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake
29 June 1945 · 37 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
16805.1
Valle Scrivia earthquake
30 April 1680 · 31 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

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

The closest seismic structure

Eastern Monferrato

The town lies about 3 km from Eastern Monferrato, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.4between 1 and 8 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 2026no events
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

9 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.6
2 km East of Bassignana
8 km North-East · 36 km
36 months ago
12 Sept, 15:41
2.2
2 km North of Tortona
12 km East · 43 km
36 months ago
2 Sept, 06:33
1.7
4 km West of Pietra Marazzi
6 km West · 35 km
45 months ago
5 Dec, 17:47
1.6
50 months ago
6 Jul, 18:45
1.4
3 km North of Alessandria
7 km West · 52 km
52 months ago
21 May, 02:36
2.2
3 km East of Montecastello
3 km East · 37 km
69 months ago
7 Jan, 21:45
2.1
81 months ago
6 Jan, 09:28
0.9
2 km North-West of Sale
8 km East · 40 km
87 months ago
4 Jul, 02:14
2.0
3 km South-East of Montecastello
3 km South-East · 44 km
128 months ago
29 Feb, 16:03

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Montecastello 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 90% of the 187 towns in the province.
Montecastello2
Nearby towns average0.6

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 · 30g
ISTAT code: 006105

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Montecastello?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montecastello area: the latest nearby dates back to 36 months ago.

Is Montecastello a seismic area?

Montecastello 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 Montecastello?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montecastello was magnitude 3.1, in 2020.

When was the last quake near Montecastello?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montecastello was 14 months 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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