Earthquakes in Cortemilia
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
Cortemilia 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 Cortemilia plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Cortemilia
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Cortemilia over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2001IV18 July 2001
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 30 km away
- 2000IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 40 km away
- 1993III17 July 1993
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 42 km away
- 1989III-IV26 December 1989
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 130 km away
- 1972II-III18 January 1972
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 42 km away
- 1917IV7 January 1917
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Savonese earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 27 km away
- 1906III11 August 1906
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 91 km away
- 1905IV30 May 1905
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 47 km away
- 1905III29 April 1905
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 185 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 78 km away
- 1884III-IV27 November 1884
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Alpi Cozie earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 131 km away
- 1786III24 November 1786
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Langhe earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 29 km away
…and one more documented effect 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 38 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
49 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Cortemilia sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
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 Cortemilia?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Cortemilia area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 months ago.
Is Cortemilia a seismic area?
Cortemilia 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 Cortemilia?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Cortemilia was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Cortemilia?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Cortemilia 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)