Earthquakes in Quarna Sotto
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 = 0.050 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Quarna Sotto 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 Quarna Sotto plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Quarna Sotto
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Quarna Sotto over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2005NF8 September 2005
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Massif du Mont-Blanc earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 113 km away
- 2000IV21 August 2000
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Monferrato earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 108 km away
- 1993IV-V14 June 1993
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 10 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 51 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
9 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Quarna Sotto 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 Quarna Sotto?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Quarna Sotto area: the latest nearby dates back to 35 months ago.
Is Quarna Sotto a seismic area?
Quarna Sotto 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 Quarna Sotto?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Quarna Sotto was magnitude 2.3, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Quarna Sotto?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Quarna Sotto 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)