Earthquakes in Valmacca
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 = 0.045 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Valmacca 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 Valmacca plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Valmacca
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Valmacca over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2001NF18 July 2001
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 36 km away
- 2000IV-V21 August 2000
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 27 km away
- 1887V-VI23 February 1887
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 143 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.
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
1 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Valmacca 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 Valmacca?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Valmacca area: the latest nearby dates back to 135 months ago.
Is Valmacca a seismic area?
Valmacca 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 Valmacca?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Valmacca was magnitude 2.2, in 2023.
When was the last quake near Valmacca?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Valmacca was 36 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)