Earthquakes in Empoli
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 = 0.119 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Empoli plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Empoli
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Empoli over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1976IV6 May 1976
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 330 km away
- 1972IV25 October 1972
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Appennino settentrionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 124 km away
- 1920VI7 September 1920
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 76 km away
- 1919V29 June 1919
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Mugello earthquake (M6.4), epicentre 52 km away
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 36 km away
- 1911IV13 September 1911
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Chianti earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 44 km away
- 1909IV13 January 1909
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 115 km away
- 1904V17 November 1904
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Pistoiese earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 31 km away
- 1899IV-V26 June 1899
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle del Bisenzio earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 32 km away
- 1897V6 September 1897
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valdarno inferiore earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 24 km away
- 1895V18 May 1895
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Fiorentino earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 26 km away
- 1887IV14 November 1887
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Fiorentino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 23 km away
…and 29 more documented effects in this town's history.
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 39 km from Livorno Hills, 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
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Empoli is about average for its province in recorded quakes.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Firenze7 events · 30gTuscany region112 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Empoli?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Empoli area: the latest nearby dates back to 1 month ago.
Is Empoli a seismic area?
Empoli 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 Empoli?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Empoli was magnitude 3.9, in 2016.
When was the last quake near Empoli?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Empoli was 12 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)