Earthquakes in Rifiano
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 = 0.042 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Rifiano 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 Rifiano plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Rifiano
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Rifiano over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2002IV14 February 2002
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Carnia earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 155 km away
- 2001VI17 July 2001
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Val Venosta earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 9 km away
- 1931IV14 April 1931
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Valli Giudicarie earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 94 km away
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 20 km from Brenner, 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?
Rifiano 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 Bolzano13 events · 30gTrentino-Alto Adige region29 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Rifiano?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Rifiano area: the latest nearby dates back to 27 days ago.
Is Rifiano a seismic area?
Rifiano 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 Rifiano?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Rifiano was magnitude 3.0, in 2017.
When was the last quake near Rifiano?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Rifiano was 27 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)