Earthquakes in Borgosesia
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 = 0.043 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Borgosesia 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 Borgosesia plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Borgosesia
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Borgosesia over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1983III9 November 1983
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Parmense earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 191 km away
- 1979III9 February 1979
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Bergamasco earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 101 km away
- 1972IV25 October 1972
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 186 km away
- 1960IV-V23 March 1960
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 73 km away
- 1905IV29 April 1905
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Haute-Savoie, Vallorcine earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 101 km away
- 1898NF4 March 1898
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Parmense earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 198 km away
- 1892III5 March 1892
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Valle d'Aosta earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 40 km away
- 1891III7 June 1891
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Valle d'Illasi earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 227 km away
- 1887IV23 February 1887
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Liguria occidentale earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 206 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 62 km from Western Monferrato, 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?
Borgosesia 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 Vercelli0 events · 30gPiedmont region34 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Borgosesia?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Borgosesia area: the latest nearby dates back to 121 months ago.
Is Borgosesia a seismic area?
Borgosesia 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 Borgosesia?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Borgosesia was magnitude 2.1, in 2019.
When was the last quake near Borgosesia?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Borgosesia 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)