Earthquakes in Montechiaro d'Acqui
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
Montechiaro d'Acqui 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 Montechiaro d'Acqui plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Montechiaro d'Acqui
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Montechiaro d'Acqui over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1887VI23 February 1887
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 84 km away · observed at Montechiaro Alto
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 45 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
24 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Montechiaro d'Acqui 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 region36 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Montechiaro d'Acqui?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montechiaro d'Acqui area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 months ago.
Is Montechiaro d'Acqui a seismic area?
Montechiaro d'Acqui 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 Montechiaro d'Acqui?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montechiaro d'Acqui was magnitude 3.1, in 2015.
When was the last quake near Montechiaro d'Acqui?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montechiaro d'Acqui 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)