Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

Earthquakes in Montecrestese

1.1
very light
LATEST QUAKE

12 km East of Formazza

8 days ago · 17 Aug, 05:01
Depth 11 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
8
days since the last quake nearby
78
quakes recorded since 2014
~55 days
on average, one quake every
2.8
The strongest within 30 km
10 km East of Formazza
30 months ago · 18 Mar, 16:52

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone3
Seismic zone 3

Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

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 = 0.083 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Go to Crodo Earthquake details
0
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
15
In the area
last 12 months
M4.4
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Montecrestese plus nearby towns.

No earthquakes recorded in Montecrestese · 1,255 inhabitants

The seismic history of Montecrestese

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

  1. 1993IV-V14 June 1993

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

    Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 30 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.

18556.2
Vallese, Stalden-Visp earthquake
25 July 1855 · 42 km from here
17555.7
Vallese, Brig-Naters earthquake
9 December 1755 · 34 km from here
18555.5
Vallese, Stalden-Visp earthquake
26 July 1855 · 40 km from here
18375.4
Berna, Birgisch earthquake
24 January 1837 · 34 km from here

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

The closest seismic structure

Western Valais

The town lies about 36 km from Western Valais, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 3 and 15 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 20262eventsmax 3.2
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.1
12 km East of Formazza
24 km North-East · 11 km
8 days ago
17 Aug, 05:01
3.2
France
274 km North-West · 6 km
11 days ago
13 Aug, 22:40
1.2
1 km East of Malesco
17 km South-East · 21 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 06:48
1.2
1 km East of Malesco
17 km South-East · 21 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 06:48
1.3
16 km North-West of Baceno
29 km North-West · 10 km
3 months ago
10 Jun, 00:58
2.1
Switzerland
139 km North · 7 km
4 months ago
17 Apr, 02:33
2.4
5 months ago
7 Apr, 08:36
2.6
5 months ago
2 Apr, 06:44
1.8
4 km South-West of Malesco
19 km South · 11 km
6 months ago
24 Feb, 23:38
1.5
Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
49 km North-East · 8 km
6 months ago
16 Feb, 22:12

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

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

quietermore active
More epicentres than 0% of the 74 towns in the province.
Montecrestese0
Nearby towns average13

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 · 30g
ISTAT code: 103046

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Montecrestese?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montecrestese area: the latest nearby dates back to 8 days ago.

Is Montecrestese a seismic area?

Montecrestese is classified in seismic zone 3 by the Civil Protection. Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

What was the strongest earthquake near Montecrestese?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montecrestese was magnitude 2.8, in 2024.

When was the last quake near Montecrestese?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montecrestese was 8 days 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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