Province of Lucca

Earthquakes in Barga

1.4
very light
LATEST QUAKE

5 km North-East of Castiglione di Garfagnana

5 days ago · 20 Aug, 06:59
Depth 8 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
5
days since the last quake nearby
1,902
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
4 km North-East of Villa Minozzo
118 months ago · 9 Dec, 08:21

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone2
Seismic zone 2

A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

Medium
Expected shaking, compared with the other Italian municipalities (INGV MPS04 model)

Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.202 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
14
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
45
In the area
last 12 months
M3.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Barga plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 17 months ago · 10,125 inhabitants

The seismic history of Barga

The earthquakes that were actually felt in Barga over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).

  1. 1920IX7 September 1920

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Metatino

  2. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Conti

  3. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away

  4. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Tiglio

  5. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Sommocolonia

  6. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Mologno

  7. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Le Palmente

  8. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Albiano

  9. 1920VIII7 September 1920

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Giuncheto

  10. 1740VIII6 March 1740

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Fornacetta

  11. 1740VIII6 March 1740

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 3 km away

  12. 1740VIII6 March 1740

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Bugliano

…and 67 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.

19206.5
Garfagnana earthquake
7 September 1920 · 20 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18375.9
Lunigiana earthquake
11 April 1837 · 27 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 3 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19145.6
Lucchesia earthquake
27 October 1914 · 22 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Garfagnana

The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 and 10 km deep

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

August 20263eventsmax 1.4
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.4
5 days ago
20 Aug, 06:59
0.9
20 days ago
5 Aug, 10:49
1.3
2 km East of Fosciandora
3 km North · 9 km
20 days ago
5 Aug, 03:05
1.3
6 km North-West of Riolunato
21 km North-East · 10 km
1 month ago
24 Jul, 13:42
1.7
2 km East of Fiumalbo
16 km North-East · 16 km
1 month ago
18 Jul, 20:35
0.5
5 km North-East of Frassinoro
19 km North · 11 km
2 months ago
14 Jun, 17:19
1.8
2 months ago
13 Jun, 19:12
0.9
2 months ago
12 Jun, 07:21
1.4
3 months ago
9 Jun, 11:02
0.7
4 km North-East of Villa Collemandina
16 km North-West · 10 km
3 months ago
8 Jun, 09:42

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Barga is about average for its province in recorded quakes.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 44% of the 33 towns in the province.
Barga14
Nearby towns average82

Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.

Context

Province of Lucca5 events · 30gTuscany region112 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 046003

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Barga?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Barga area: the latest nearby dates back to 5 days ago.

Is Barga a seismic area?

Barga is classified in seismic zone 2 by the Civil Protection. A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

What was the strongest earthquake near Barga?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Barga was magnitude 3.9, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Barga?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Barga was 5 days ago.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

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