Earthquakes in Montafia
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 = 0.040 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Montafia 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 Montafia plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Montafia
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Montafia over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1993NF17 July 1993
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 90 km away
- 1905NF29 April 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 139 km away
- 1896NF16 October 1896
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 147 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 lies about 15 km from Western 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
1 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Montafia 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 Asti0 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Montafia?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montafia area: the latest nearby dates back to 7 months ago.
Is Montafia a seismic area?
Montafia 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 Montafia?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montafia was magnitude 2.9, in 2023.
When was the last quake near Montafia?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montafia was 7 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)