Earthquakes in Volterra
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 = 0.140 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Volterra plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Volterra
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Volterra over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1946IV-V29 April 1946
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Colline Metallifere earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 15 km away
- 1925IV-V21 March 1925
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Colline Metallifere earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Saline
- 1920V-VI7 September 1920
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 99 km away
- 1919IV-V29 June 1919
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Mugello earthquake (M6.4), epicentre 78 km away
- 1911IV-V13 September 1911
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chianti earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 38 km away
- 1909IV-V25 August 1909
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Crete Senesi earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 51 km away
- 1901V22 September 1901
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valdelsa earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 19 km away
- 1895IV-V25 October 1895
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Chianti earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 30 km away
- 1869V26 September 1869
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valdelsa earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 19 km away
- 1853V-VI2 August 1853
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val di Cecina earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 6 km away
- 1846VII14 August 1846
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Colline Pisane earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 27 km away
- 1542IV-V13 June 1542
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Mugello earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 78 km away
…and 42 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 28 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?
Volterra 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 Pisa71 events · 30gTuscany region112 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Volterra?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Volterra area: the latest nearby dates back to 19 days ago.
Is Volterra a seismic area?
Volterra 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 Volterra?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Volterra was magnitude 3.9, in 2016.
When was the last quake near Volterra?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Volterra was 2 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)