Earthquakes in Madonna del Sasso
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 = 0.044 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Madonna del Sasso 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 Madonna del Sasso plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Madonna del Sasso
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Madonna del Sasso over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2005II8 September 2005
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Massif du Mont-Blanc earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 116 km away · observed at Madonna del Sasso (Boleto)
- 1993IV14 June 1993
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Madonna del Sasso (Boleto)
- 1960II-III23 March 1960
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 69 km away · observed at Artò
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 61 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?
Madonna del Sasso 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-Ossola2 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Madonna del Sasso?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Madonna del Sasso area: the latest nearby dates back to 121 months ago.
Is Madonna del Sasso a seismic area?
Madonna del Sasso 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 Madonna del Sasso?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Madonna del Sasso was magnitude 2.1, in 2019.
When was the last quake near Madonna del Sasso?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Madonna del Sasso 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)