Earthquakes in Santo Stefano Belbo
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 = 0.046 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Santo Stefano Belbo 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 Santo Stefano Belbo plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Santo Stefano Belbo
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Santo Stefano Belbo over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2001III-IV18 July 2001
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 20 km away
- 2000V-VI21 August 2000
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 26 km away
- 1989NF26 December 1989
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Mar Ligure earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 144 km away
- 1887VI-VII23 February 1887
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 93 km away
- 1878V7 June 1878
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Cuneese earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 74 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 33 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
21 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Santo Stefano Belbo is about average for its province in recorded quakes.
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 Santo Stefano Belbo?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Santo Stefano Belbo area: the latest nearby dates back to 4 months ago.
Is Santo Stefano Belbo a seismic area?
Santo Stefano Belbo 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 Santo Stefano Belbo?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Santo Stefano Belbo was magnitude 3.0, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Santo Stefano Belbo?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Santo Stefano Belbo 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)