Earthquakes in Ovada
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 = 0.072 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Ovada plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Ovada
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Ovada over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2003V11 April 2003
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 23 km away
- 2001IV18 July 2001
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 26 km away
- 2000IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 38 km away
- 1980IV5 January 1980
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Torinese earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 113 km away
- 1975F16 November 1975
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Appennino piacentino earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 71 km away
- 1913V7 December 1913
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 22 km away
- 1901F23 January 1901
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 53 km away
- 1900IV-V30 December 1900
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Alto Monferrato earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Grillano
- 1900IV-V30 December 1900
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Alto Monferrato earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 16 km away · observed at Costa
- 1900IV-V30 December 1900
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Alto Monferrato earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 16 km away · observed at San Lorenzo
- 1897V6 July 1897
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 24 km away
- 1896III-IV16 October 1896
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 96 km away
…and 9 more documented effects in this town's history.
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 33 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
20 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Ovada 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 Ovada?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ovada area: the latest nearby dates back to 4 months ago.
Is Ovada a seismic area?
Ovada 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 Ovada?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ovada was magnitude 3.1, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Ovada?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ovada was 11 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)