Province of Pistoia

Earthquakes in Pescia

1.0
very light
LATEST QUAKE

4 km North of Porcari

16 days ago · 9 Aug, 06:37
Depth 6 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
12
days since the last quake nearby
1,186
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
4.1
The strongest within 30 km
3 km East of Pistoia
5 months ago · 26 Mar, 09:40

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

How seismic is this area?

Zone3
Seismic zone 3

Medium-low seismicity: strong quakes are rare, but not impossible.

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

Low
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 = 0.140 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
2
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
37
In the area
last 12 months
M4.1
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Pescia plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 24 months ago · 19,435 inhabitants

The seismic history of Pescia

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

  1. 1969V6 January 1969

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Appennino pistoiese earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 14 km away

  2. 1920VI7 September 1920

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 45 km away

  3. 1916V27 July 1916

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Garfagnana earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 25 km away

  4. 1914VII27 October 1914

    Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 8 km away · observed at Veneri

  5. 1914VII27 October 1914

    Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 8 km away

  6. 1914V27 October 1914

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 8 km away · observed at Castelvecchio

  7. 1914V27 October 1914

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 8 km away · observed at Pietrabuona

  8. 1914V27 October 1914

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 8 km away · observed at Vellano

  9. 1904VII17 November 1904

    Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

    Pistoiese earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 11 km away · observed at San Quirico

  10. 1895V7 August 1895

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Appennino tosco-emiliano earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 10 km away

  11. 1891V-VI24 April 1891

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Pescia earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 3 km away

  12. 1630V-VIMay 1630

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Pistoiese earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 3 km away

…and 35 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 · 45 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18375.9
Lunigiana earthquake
11 April 1837 · 50 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17405.6
Garfagnana earthquake
6 March 1740 · 24 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19145.6
Lucchesia earthquake
27 October 1914 · 8 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 lies about 12 km from Garfagnana, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

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 20262eventsmax 1.0
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.0
4 km North of Porcari
9 km South-West · 6 km
16 days ago
9 Aug, 06:37
0.8
21 days ago
4 Aug, 04:50
0.9
1 month ago
26 Jul, 02:05
1.5
6 km East of Pistoia
23 km East · 51 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 03:52
1.5
6 km East of Pistoia
23 km East · 51 km
2 months ago
9 Jul, 03:52
1.4
2 km South of Porcari
14 km South-West · 7 km
2 months ago
25 Jun, 19:00
0.9
7 km North-West of Marliana
10 km North-East · 9 km
2 months ago
17 Jun, 21:23
1.9
2 months ago
17 Jun, 21:21
0.9
2 km North of Bagni di Lucca
16 km North-West · 5 km
2 months ago
12 Jun, 07:21
0.8
3 months ago
11 Jun, 11:49

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Pescia is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 26% of the 20 towns in the province.
Pescia2
Nearby towns average40

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

Context

Province of Pistoia1 events · 30gTuscany region112 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 047012

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Pescia?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Pescia area: the latest nearby dates back to 16 days ago.

Is Pescia a seismic area?

Pescia 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 Pescia?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Pescia was magnitude 4.1, in 2026.

When was the last quake near Pescia?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Pescia 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)

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