Earthquakes in Alba
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 = 0.049 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Alba 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 Alba plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Alba
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Alba over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2011IV25 July 2011
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Torinese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 65 km away
- 2000IV-V21 August 2000
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 38 km away
- 1963IV19 July 1963
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 149 km away
- 1947IV17 February 1947
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Alpi Cozie earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 104 km away
- 1914F26 October 1914
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Torinese earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 67 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 88 km away
- 1878V7 June 1878
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 60 km away
- 1828IV-V9 October 1828
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Oltrepò Pavese earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 82 km away
- 1818V23 February 1818
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 84 km away
- 1807F5 September 1807
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 82 km away
- 1786VI24 November 1786
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Langhe earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 11 km away
- 1549IV13 May 1549
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 29 km away
…and 10 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 21 km from Southern Piemonte, 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
11 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Alba 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 Cuneo20 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Alba?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Alba area: the latest nearby dates back to 4 months ago.
Is Alba a seismic area?
Alba 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 Alba?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Alba was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Alba?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Alba 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)