Earthquakes in Bressanone
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?
The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.
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 = 0.051 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Bressanone sits in one of the most stable areas of Italy: far from the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, on ancient, rigid crust that hardly accumulates tectonic stress any more.
That is why earthquakes here are rare and almost always weak: a small geological privilege.
The “area” is Bressanone plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Bressanone
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Bressanone over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1977F16 September 1977
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Friuli earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 112 km away
- 1976V11 September 1976
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Friuli earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 128 km away
- 1976V6 May 1976
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Friuli earthquake (M6.5), epicentre 121 km away
- 1936IV18 October 1936
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Alpago Cansiglio earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 86 km away
- 1914V27 October 1914
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Lucchesia earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 322 km away
- 1909IV-V13 January 1909
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 236 km away
- 1909IV13 January 1909
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Emilia Romagna orientale earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 236 km away · observed at Millan
- 1902IV-V19 June 1902
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Alpi Retiche earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 36 km away
- 1895IV14 April 1895
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Ljubljana earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 226 km away
- 1895IV14 April 1895
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Ljubljana earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 226 km away · observed at Albes
- 1836IV-V12 June 1836
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Asolano earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 100 km away
- 1826IV-V24 June 1826
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Garda occidentale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 151 km away
…and 8 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 14 km from Western Periadriatic, 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
19 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Bressanone 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 Bolzano13 events · 30gTrentino-Alto Adige region28 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Bressanone?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Bressanone area: the latest nearby dates back to 12 months ago.
Is Bressanone a seismic area?
Bressanone is classified in seismic zone 4 by the Civil Protection. The quietest class: the probability of strong earthquakes is very low.
What was the strongest earthquake near Bressanone?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Bressanone was magnitude 3.0, in 2017.
When was the last quake near Bressanone?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Bressanone was 3 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)