Province of Asti

Earthquakes in Rocchetta Palafea

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km East of Santo Stefano Belbo

26 months ago · 21 Jul, 02:17
Depth 59 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
39
days since the last quake nearby
134
quakes recorded since 2014
~32 days
on average, one quake every
3.0
The strongest within 30 km
1 km East of Barbaresco
80 months ago · 19 Jan, 06:22

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone4
Seismic zone 4

The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

Very low
Expected shaking, compared with the other Italian municipalities (INGV MPS04 model)

Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.049 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Why the ground rarely shakes here

Rocchetta Palafea 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.

Closest earthquake
Go to Cassinasco Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
In the area
last 12 months
M1.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Rocchetta Palafea plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Rocchetta Palafea · 347 inhabitants

The seismic history of Rocchetta Palafea

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Rocchetta Palafea over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).

  1. 1993II-III17 July 1993

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 56 km away

  2. 1887VI23 February 1887

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 94 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.

15415.3
Valle Scrivia earthquake
22 October 1541 · 46 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
16805.1
Valle Scrivia earthquake
30 April 1680 · 37 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
17675.0
Genovese earthquake
7 February 1767 · 32 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
20004.9
Monferrato earthquake
21 August 2000 · 23 km from here
VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Southern Piemonte

The town lies about 43 km from Southern Piemonte, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.3between 2 and 8 km deep

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

August 2026no events
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

7 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
26 months ago
21 Jul, 02:17
0.9
1 km South-West of Cassinasco
3 km South-West · 9 km
32 months ago
17 Jan, 20:42
0.7
50 months ago
18 Jul, 22:56
1.4
1 km East of Castelletto d'Erro
10 km South-East · 13 km
79 months ago
11 Mar, 20:37
1.4
1 km South of Castelletto d'Erro
9 km South-East · 11 km
79 months ago
11 Mar, 20:33
1.6
80 months ago
12 Feb, 16:24
1.1
1 km East of Acqui Terme
10 km East · 12 km
87 months ago
15 Jul, 23:28

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Rocchetta Palafea is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 118 towns in the province.
Rocchetta Palafea0
Nearby towns average0.6

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 region36 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 005095

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Rocchetta Palafea?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Rocchetta Palafea area: the latest nearby dates back to 26 months ago.

Is Rocchetta Palafea a seismic area?

Rocchetta Palafea 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 Rocchetta Palafea?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Rocchetta Palafea was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.

When was the last quake near Rocchetta Palafea?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Rocchetta Palafea was 1 month ago.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

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