Earthquakes in Tortona
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 = 0.081 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Tortona plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Tortona
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Tortona 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 14 km away
- 2000IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 37 km away
- 1980IV23 December 1980
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Piacentino earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 75 km away
- 1945IV-V15 December 1945
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 22 km away
- 1913V7 December 1913
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 16 km away
- 1902V11 April 1902
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 4 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 130 km away
- 1828VII9 October 1828
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 18 km away
- 1780V4 August 1780
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 2 km away
- 1780V1 August 1780
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 2 km away
- 1759V26 May 1759
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Pavese earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 15 km away
- 1541VI22 October 1541
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Valle Scrivia earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 15 km away
…and 24 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 2 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
8 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Tortona 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 Tortona?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Tortona area: the latest nearby dates back to 36 months ago.
Is Tortona a seismic area?
Tortona 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 Tortona?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Tortona was magnitude 3.3, in 2025.
When was the last quake near Tortona?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Tortona was 2 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)