Earthquakes in Montepulciano
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 = 0.147 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Montepulciano plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Montepulciano
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Montepulciano over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1940V-VI16 October 1940
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val di Paglia earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 24 km away
- 1940V19 June 1940
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monte Amiata earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 29 km away
- 1919V10 September 1919
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val di Paglia earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 34 km away
- 1861VI9 May 1861
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val di Chiana earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 17 km away · observed at Ciarlana
- 1861V-VI9 May 1861
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val di Chiana earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 17 km away · observed at Valiano
- 1861V-VI9 May 1861
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val di Chiana earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 17 km away · observed at Acquaviva
- 1861V9 May 1861
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val di Chiana earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 17 km away
- 1802V30 October 1802
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val d'Orcia earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 24 km away
- 1798V-VI8 September 1798
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val d'Orcia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 15 km away
- 1777V5 October 1777
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val di Paglia earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 25 km away
- 1700V5 February 1700
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Val d'Orcia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 29 km away
- 1679VI-VII24 March 1679
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Val d'Orcia earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 14 km away
…and 34 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 42 km from Mugello-Citta' di Castello-Leonessa, 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?
Montepulciano is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Siena8 events · 30gTuscany region112 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Montepulciano?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Montepulciano area: the latest nearby dates back to 18 days ago.
Is Montepulciano a seismic area?
Montepulciano 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 Montepulciano?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Montepulciano was magnitude 3.4, in 2019.
When was the last quake near Montepulciano?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Montepulciano was 18 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)