Earthquakes in San Pietro Vernotico
Adriatico Meridionale [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 = 0.046 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
San Pietro Vernotico 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 San Pietro Vernotico plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of San Pietro Vernotico
The earthquakes that were actually felt in San Pietro Vernotico over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1990II-III5 May 1990
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 193 km away
- 1988NF13 April 1988
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Golfo di Taranto earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 133 km away
- 1980IV23 November 1980
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 233 km away
- 1947NF11 May 1947
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 243 km away
- 1905NF8 September 1905
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 256 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 78 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
39 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
San Pietro Vernotico 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 Brindisi0 events · 30gPuglia region21 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in San Pietro Vernotico?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the San Pietro Vernotico area: the latest nearby dates back to 5 months ago.
Is San Pietro Vernotico a seismic area?
San Pietro Vernotico 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 San Pietro Vernotico?
In the last ~11 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of San Pietro Vernotico was magnitude 2.9, in 2021.
When was the last quake near San Pietro Vernotico?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of San Pietro Vernotico was 14 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)