Province of Aosta

Earthquakes in Ayas

1.6
very light
LATEST QUAKE

19 km North of Bionaz

2 months ago · 4 Jul, 06:36
Depth 9 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
35
days since the last quake nearby
610
quakes recorded since 2014
~7 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
5 km North of Bionaz
60 months ago · 5 Oct, 07:39

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 = 0.079 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
4
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
37
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Ayas plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 96 months ago · 1,359 inhabitants

The seismic history of Ayas

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

  1. 2005II8 September 2005

    Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.

    Massif du Mont-Blanc earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 70 km away · observed at Ayas (Antagnod)

  2. 1960IV23 March 1960

    Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.

    Vallese earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 62 km away · observed at Ayas (Antagnod)

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.

18556.2
Vallese, Stalden-Visp earthquake
25 July 1855 · 44 km from here
18555.5
Vallese, Stalden-Visp earthquake
26 July 1855 · 44 km from here
18555.3
Vallese, Stalden-Visp earthquake
26 July 1855 · 43 km from here
16855.3
Vallese, Mittelwallis earthquake
8 March 1685 · 49 km from here

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Western Valais

The town lies about 46 km from Western Valais, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 3 and 15 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

July 20261eventmax 1.6
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.6
19 km North of Bionaz
34 km North-West · 9 km
2 months ago
4 Jul, 06:36
0.4
4 km West of Nus
23 km West · 8 km
2 months ago
24 Jun, 20:13
0.9
3 km North-West of Nus
22 km West · 10 km
2 months ago
22 Jun, 07:12
0.8
2 km West of Nus
22 km West · 12 km
2 months ago
12 Jun, 10:19
0.6
3 km North-West of Nus
22 km West · 8 km
3 months ago
29 May, 05:00
1.4
Svizzera (SVIZZERA)
57 km North-West · 11 km
3 months ago
22 May, 04:33
1.3
12 km North-West of Bionaz
31 km West · 6 km
3 months ago
21 May, 14:01
0.9
3 km North-West of Nus
21 km West · 10 km
3 months ago
18 May, 14:18
1.6
10 km North of Valtournenche
20 km North-West · 10 km
3 months ago
15 May, 06:33
0.6
23 km North of Bionaz
36 km North-West · 10 km
3 months ago
14 May, 09:34

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Ayas records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 60% of the 74 towns in the province.
Ayas4
Nearby towns average45

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

Context

Province of Aosta3 events · 30gAosta Valley region3 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 007007

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Ayas?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ayas area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Ayas a seismic area?

Ayas 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 Ayas?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ayas was magnitude 3.9, in 2021.

When was the last quake near Ayas?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ayas was 1 month 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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