Province of Novara

Earthquakes in Arona

Low-seismicity area

No epicentres recorded in Arona in our archive. Here is the seismicity of the area and its surroundings.

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
1,163
days since the last quake nearby
7
quakes recorded since 2014
~1.7 years
on average, one quake every
1.8
The strongest within 30 km
1 km North-West of Travedona-Monate
39 months ago · 18 Jun, 21:56

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 = 0.038 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Why the ground rarely shakes here

Arona 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.

0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
0
In the area
last 12 months
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Arona plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Arona · 14,195 inhabitants

The seismic history of Arona

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

  1. 2011III-IV17 July 2011

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Pianura lombardo-veneta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 236 km away

  2. 2002NF13 November 2002

    Imperceptible: only instruments record it.

    Franciacorta earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 125 km away

  3. 1983IV9 November 1983

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 175 km away

  4. 1979IV9 February 1979

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Bergamasco earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 80 km away

  5. 1960III23 March 1960

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

    Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 79 km away

  6. 1918IV24 April 1918

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Lecchese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 71 km away

  7. 1914III-IV26 October 1914

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Torinese earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 121 km away

  8. 1905IV29 April 1905

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 122 km away

  9. 1887V23 February 1887

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 212 km away

  10. 1887IV-V23 February 1887

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 212 km away · observed at Dagnente

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.

19184.6
Pianura lombarda earthquake
13 January 1918 · 41 km from here
IV-VRather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
19364.5
Biellese earthquake
17 October 1936 · 45 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
19934.3
Val d'Ossola earthquake
14 June 1993 · 31 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
18814.2
Biellese earthquake
2 March 1881 · 46 km from here
VRather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

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

The closest seismic structure

Western S-Alps internal thrust

The town lies about 64 km from Western S-Alps internal thrust, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 5 and 12 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

0 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

No events in the selected period.

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

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

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 87 towns in the province.
Arona0
Nearby towns average0

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of Novara0 events · 30gPiedmont region36 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 003008

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Arona?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Arona area.

Is Arona a seismic area?

Arona 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 Arona?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Arona was magnitude 1.8, in 2023.

When was the last quake near Arona?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Arona was 39 months 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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