Earthquakes in Pontestura
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?
The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.
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 = 0.038 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Pontestura 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 Pontestura plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Pontestura
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Pontestura over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2002NF13 November 2002
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Franciacorta earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 154 km away
- 2001NF18 July 2001
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 37 km away
- 2000V21 August 2000
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 24 km away
- 1993NF17 July 1993
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 103 km away
- 1905NF30 May 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 94 km away
- 1905NF29 April 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 142 km away
- 1900NF30 December 1900
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Alto Monferrato earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 54 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 140 km away · observed at Quarti
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 sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.
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
3 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Pontestura 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 Pontestura?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Pontestura area: the latest nearby dates back to 89 months ago.
Is Pontestura a seismic area?
Pontestura is classified in seismic zone 4 by the Civil Protection. The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.
What was the strongest earthquake near Pontestura?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Pontestura was magnitude 2.1, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Pontestura?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Pontestura was 81 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)