Earthquakes in Francavilla Fontana
Mar Ionio Settentrionale [Mare]
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~11 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 = 0.052 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Francavilla Fontana 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 Francavilla Fontana plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Francavilla Fontana
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Francavilla Fontana over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1990IV-V5 May 1990
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 157 km away
- 1988IV13 April 1988
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Golfo di Taranto earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 110 km away
- 1978III24 September 1978
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Materano earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 93 km away
- 1947NF11 May 1947
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 226 km away
- 1910III7 June 1910
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 186 km away
- 1905II8 September 1905
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 233 km away
- 1857VI-VII16 December 1857
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 148 km away
- 1743IX20 February 1743
Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
Ionio settentrionale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 126 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 42 km from Baragiano-Palagianello, 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
8 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Francavilla Fontana records more quakes than the average of its province.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Brindisi0 events · 30gPuglia region21 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Francavilla Fontana?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Francavilla Fontana area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.
Is Francavilla Fontana a seismic area?
Francavilla Fontana 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 Francavilla Fontana?
In the last ~11 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Francavilla Fontana was magnitude 2.5, in 2015.
When was the last quake near Francavilla Fontana?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Francavilla Fontana was 3 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)