Earthquakes in Vernole
Costa Albanese settentrionale (ALBANIA)
Seismic activity in the surroundings
50 km radiusNo events within 30 km of the town. The closest on record: magnitude 2.2, 40 km away.
INGV 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 = 0.049 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Vernole 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 Vernole plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Vernole
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Vernole over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1990NF5 May 1990
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Potentino earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 221 km away
- 1988NF13 April 1988
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Golfo di Taranto earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 140 km away
- 1980NF23 November 1980
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 261 km away
- 1909NF20 January 1909
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Salento earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 28 km away
- 1743VII-VIII20 February 1743
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Ionio settentrionale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 67 km away · observed at Vanze
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 80 km from Albania offshore, 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
4 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Vernole sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Lecce0 events · 30gPuglia region20 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Vernole?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Vernole area: the latest nearby dates back to 51 months ago.
Is Vernole a seismic area?
Vernole 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 Vernole?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 50 km of Vernole was magnitude 2.2, in 2025.
When was the last quake near Vernole?
The last quake recorded within 50 km of Vernole was 16 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)