Earthquakes in Santa Maria Maggiore
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?
Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.
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 = 0.066 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Santa Maria Maggiore plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Santa Maria Maggiore
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Santa Maria Maggiore 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 26 km away
- 1908III-IV24 May 1908
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Piemonte centro-settentrionale earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 83 km away · observed at Crana
- 1905III29 April 1905
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 112 km away
- 1891III20 December 1891
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Val d'Ossola earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 13 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 41 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
23 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Santa Maria Maggiore 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 Santa Maria Maggiore?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Santa Maria Maggiore area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.
Is Santa Maria Maggiore a seismic area?
Santa Maria Maggiore 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 Santa Maria Maggiore?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Santa Maria Maggiore was magnitude 2.8, in 2024.
When was the last quake near Santa Maria Maggiore?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Santa Maria Maggiore 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)