Earthquakes in Villafranca d'Asti
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 = 0.042 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Villafranca d'Asti 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 Villafranca d'Asti plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Villafranca d'Asti
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Villafranca d'Asti 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 33 km away
- 2000V21 August 2000
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 27 km away
- 1966II7 April 1966
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 90 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 114 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 22 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
3 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Villafranca d'Asti 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 region36 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Villafranca d'Asti?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Villafranca d'Asti area: the latest nearby dates back to 7 months ago.
Is Villafranca d'Asti a seismic area?
Villafranca d'Asti 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 Villafranca d'Asti?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Villafranca d'Asti was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Villafranca d'Asti?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Villafranca d'Asti was 4 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)