Earthquakes in Verbania
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~11 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 = 0.045 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Verbania 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 Verbania plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Verbania
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Verbania over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1993III-IV14 June 1993
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 18 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1991III-IV20 November 1991
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Grigioni, Vaz earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 117 km away · observed at Intra
- 1983III9 November 1983
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 191 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1976III15 September 1976
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Friuli earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 362 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1976III6 May 1976
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 357 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1960V23 March 1960
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 61 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1951V15 May 1951
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lodigiano earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 118 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1914F27 October 1914
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 280 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1912III31 May 1912
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Canavese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 72 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
- 1894IV27 November 1894
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Bresciano earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 132 km away · observed at Intra
- 1887IV23 February 1887
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 232 km away · observed at Intra
- 1887IV23 February 1887
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 232 km away · observed at Verbania (Pallanza)
…and 3 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 56 km from Western Valais, 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
1 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Verbania 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 Verbano-Cusio-Ossola1 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Verbania?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Verbania area: the latest nearby dates back to 39 months ago.
Is Verbania a seismic area?
Verbania 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 Verbania?
In the last ~11 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Verbania was magnitude 2.3, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Verbania?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Verbania 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)