List of earthquakes in Italy

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This is a list of earthquakes in Italy that had epicentres in Italy, or significantly affected the country. On average every four years an earthquake with a magnitude equal to or greater than 5.5 occurs in Italy.

Due to the particular geodynamic situation (convergence of the Eurasian plate with the African plate) the Italian territory is frequently subject to earthquakes, giving it the record in Europe for these phenomena. Out of 1,300 destructive earthquakes that occurred in the 2nd millennium in the central Mediterranean Sea, 500 affected Italy.

The analysis of the earthquakes indicates that they are mostly distributed along the areas affected by Alpine and Apennine tectonics, where they are caused by movements along faults. The highest seismicity hazard in Italy has been concentrated in the central-southern part of the peninsula, along the Apennine ridge, in Calabria and Sicily and in some northern areas, like Friuli-Venezia Giulia, part of Veneto and western Liguria.

Geology

Italy lies on the southern extent of the Eurasian plate, which is surrounded by the Aegean Sea plate, the Adriatic plate, and the Anatolian sub-plate. The Apennine Mountains contain numerous faults that run along the entire Italian peninsula and form the majority of the destructive boundary between the Eurasian and the Adriatic plates, thus causing Italy to have high amounts of tectonic activity. In addition, Sicily and Calabria are located near the boundary where the African plate is subducting below the Eurasian plate, which was responsible for forming the stratovolcano known as Mount Etna.

List of major earthquakes

Date Region Mag. MMI Deaths Injuries Notes Ref
2025-03-13 Campania 4.2 Mw  VI 11 Severe damage
2023-09-18 Tuscany 5.1 Mw  VI 1 1 Severe damage
2023-03-09 Umbria 4.3 Mw 
4.6 Mw  		IV 13 Severe damage
2022-11-09 Pesaro-Urbino 5.6 Mw  VI 11 Moderate damage
2020-02-24 Calabria 4.8 Mw  VI 1 Moderate damage
2018-12-26 Sicily 5.0 Mw  VII 30 Several buildings damaged
2018-08-16 Molise 5.3 Mw  VI 2 Moderate damage
2017-08-21 Campania 4.2 Mw VI 2 42
2017-01-18 Abruzzo, Lazio 5.7 Mw VIII 34 29 Sequence
2016-10-30 Umbria 6.6 Mw XI 3 (indirect) Dozens Sequence / extensive damage
2016-08-24 Lazio, Umbria, Marche 6.2 Mw XI 299 >400
2013-06-21 Tuscany 5.2 Mw V 4
2013-02-16 Lazio 4.8 Mw  V 1 (indirect)
2012-05-29 Emilia-Romagna 5.8 Mw VII 20 350
2012-05-20 Emilia-Romagna 6.1 Mw VII 5 (+2 indirect) 50
2010-08-16 Sicily 4.5 Mw  7 Landslides
2009-04-06 L'Aquila 6.3 Mw X 309 1,500+ Severe damage
2004-11-24 Lombardy, Salò 5.1 Mw VII–VIII * 9 Many buildings damaged
2003-09-14 Emilia-Romagna 5.3 Mw VII Some 10 buildings damaged
2003-04-11 Piedmont, Alessandria 5.0 Mb VI * 2
2002-11-01 Molise 5.8 Mw 3 Doublet / additional damage
2002-10-31 Molise 5.9 30 Doublet
2002-09-06 Sicily 6.0 Mw 2 20 Heart attacks / damage
2001-07-17 Trentino-Alto Adige 4.7 Mw VI * 3 3 Landslides
1998-09-09 Basilicata, Calabria 5.6 Mw VI–VII * 2 12 Buildings damaged
1997-09-26 Umbria, Marche 6.1 9 Doublet
1997-09-26 Umbria, Foligno 5.7 2 Doublet
1991-05-26 Basilicata, Potenza 5.1 Mb VIII A few Minor damage
1990-12-13 Sicily, Augusta 5.6 Mw VII 19 200 Severe damage
1990-05-05 Basilicata, Campania 5.8 Mw VII 2 16
1987-05-02 Emilia-Romagna 4.8 Mb VII 1 Several Slight damage
1985-03-14 Molise 4.3 Mw V 1 Slight damage
1984-05-07 Abruzzo, Lazio 5.9 Mw VIII 3 100 Extensive damage
1984-04-29 Umbria, Gubbio 5.7 Mw VIII 36 Extensive damage
1983-11-09 Emilia-Romagna 5.1 Mw VIII 100 Some damage
1980-11-23 Campania, Basilicata 6.9 Mw X 2,483–4,900 7,700–8,934 Extreme damage
1979-09-19 Umbria, Norcia 5.8 Ms 5 5,000 Severe damage NGDC
1978-04-15 Gulf of Patti, Sicily 5.7 Ms 5 Moderate damage NGDC
1978-03-11 Sicily 5.0 Ms 2 2 Moderate damage NGDC
1976-09-15 Friuli 5.9/6.0 8 (+3 indirect) Aftershock
1976-09-11 Friuli 5.8/5.6 2 (indirect) Aftershock
1976-05-06 Friuli 6.5 Mw X 900–978 1,700–2,400 Extreme damage
1972-06-14 Ancona 4.9 IX Extensive damage / swarm
1971-07-15 Emilia-Romagna 5.2 Mb VIII * 2 Limited damage NGDC
1971-02-06 Lazio 4.6 Mb VIII 24 150 Extreme damage NGDC
1969-08-11 Perugia 4.7 Ms VII 4 Limited damage NGDC
1968-01-15 Western Sicily 5.5 Mw X 231–400 632–1,000 Sequence
1962-08-21 Irpinia, Campania 6.1 IX * 16 Moderate damage
1943-10-03 Offida, Marche 5.5 Mw IX 15 Very heavy damage
1936-10-18 Cansiglio 5.9 ML IX 19
1933-09-26 Abruzzo 5.6 Mw IX 10 Some damage
1930-10-30 Senigallia, Marche 5.9 18
1930-07-23 Irpinia 6.6 Ms X 1,404 4,624–7,000
1920-09-07 Garfagnana 6.4 171
1917-04-26 Northern Umbria 5.8 20
1915-01-13 Avezzano 6.7 Mw XI 29,978–32,610 Extreme damage
1914-05-08 Sicily 4.9 Ms X 120 Severe damage NGDC
1908-12-28 Strait of Messina 7.1 Mw XI 75,000–200,000 Extreme damage / tsunami
1907-10-23 Calabria 5.9 Ms VIII–X 158–167 Moderate damage NGDC
1905-09-08 Calabria 7.2 Mw XI 557–2,500 Tsunami
1901-10-30 Salò 5.5 Mw VII–VIII Collapsed buildings
1894-11-16 Strait of Messina, Sicily, Calabria 6.0 IX 100 Severe damage
1887-02-23 Liguria 6.2–6.5 >2,000 Significant damage / tsunami
1883-07-28 Ischia 4.3–5.2 Mw XI 2,313 Near total destruction on in Ischia
1873-06-29 Veneto 6.3 Me IX–X 80
1857-12-16 Basilicata 7.0 Mw XI 10,000 Extreme damage
1851-08-14 Basilicata 700–2,000+ Many buildings damaged
1836-04-25 Calabria 6.1 X 239 Severe damage
1831-05-26 Taggia, Sanremo 5.5 VIII-IX Moderate damage
1828-10-09 Ligurian Apennines, province of Alessandria 5.8 VII-VIII 19 Moderate damage
1808-04-02 Piedmont 5.7 VIII 2 Moderate damage
1805-07-26 Campania, Molise 6.6 Me X 5,573 Extreme damage
1802-05-12 Lombardy, Cremona 5.7 Mw VIII-IX 2 Collapsed churches, houses, and a municipal building
1783-02-04 Calabria 7.0 50,000
1762-10-06 L'Aquila 5.3–6.0 Mw IX Damage
1743-02-20 Salento 7.1 Mw IX 180–300
1732-11-29 Campania 6.6 Thousands
1706-11-03 Abruzzo 6.6-6.84 Mw X 2,400 Extreme damage
1703-02-12 L'Aquila 6.7 XI 2,500–5,000
1703-01-16 Montereale 6.2 VIII
1703-01-14 Norcia 6.7 X 6,240–9,761
1694-09-08 Basilicata 6.9 >6,000
1693-01-11 Sicily, Malta 7.4 Mw XI 60,000
1688-06-05 Sannio 7.0 XI 3,311 Severe damage NGDC
1659-11-06 Calabria 2,035 Extreme damage NGDC
1654-07-23 Sorano, Marsica X 600 Severe damage NGDC
1639-10-07 Lazio 6.0 Mw IX–X 500
1638-06-09 Calabria IX 52 Moderate damage
1638-03-27 Calabria 7.0 Ms XI 9,581–30,000 Extreme damage / tsunami
1627-07-30 Apulia 6.7 Mw X 5,000 Tsunami
1626-07-30 Naples 70,000
1626-04-05 Girifalco 6.1 Mw X Very heavy damage
1616-06-04 Cagliari No casualties or damage reported. Registeted on a plaque in the city's cathedral
1570-11-17 Ferrara 70–200
1561-08-19 Vallo di Diano 6.4 Mw X 500
1517-03-29 Irpinia 5.4 Mw >50 Moderate damage
1511-03-26 Friuli X 15 Severe damage
1466-01-15 Irpinia 6.1 VIII-IX >100
1461-11-27 L'Aquila 6.3 IX >80 High intensity over Abruzzo region
1456-12-30 Benevento 6.6 Mw X–XI Sequence
1456-12-05 Molise 7.1–7.4 Mw X–XI 30,000–70,000 High intensity over large area. Largest earthquake on the Italian Peninsula.
1453-09-28 Florence 5.3 VII-VIII Moderate damage
1361-07-17 Ascoli Satriano 6.0 >1,000 Extreme damage
1349-09-09 L'Aquila 6.7 X 2,000 Severe damage NGDC
1348-01-25 Friuli 6.9 X 10,000 Extreme damage
1343-11-25 Naples Tsunami
1328-12-04 Norcia 6.4 X 2,000-5,000
1315-12-03 L'Aquila 5.6 IX Moderate damage
1298-12-01 Monti Reatini 6.3 X Numerous deaths and severe damage
1293-09-04 Samnium, Naples 5.8 VIII-IX Moderate damage
1222-12-25 Northern Italy X 12,000 Extreme damage
1169-02-04 Sicily X 15,000–25,000 Severe damage / tsunami
1117-01-03 Northern Italy VII Severe damage
1046-11-09 Valle dell'Adige IX-X Numerous deaths and severe damage
801-04-29 Central Apennines 5.4 Me VII–VIII Severe damage
951 Rossano IX Severe damage
853 Messina IX-X Severe damage
847 Samnium Severe damage
801-04-29 Spoleto, Perugia Severe damage
778 Treviso VIII-IX 48 Moderate damage
725 Classe VIII Moderate damage
584 Liguria Severe damage
375 Benevento IX Severe damage
369-07-21 Benevento Thousands Severe damage
361 Sicily and Calabria X Drastic decrease in the population along the Strait of Messina Extreme damage / tsunami
346 Samnium IX Severe damage
101 San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore IX-X Severe damage
99 Circello, Benevento IX-X Severe damage
79-08-24 Vesuvian area VIII Thousands Earthquake caused by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD
62-02-05 Campania 5.2–6.1 IX–X Severe damage
56 BC-04 Potenza Picena VIII-IX Severe damage
91 BC Modena, Reggio Emilia VIII Moderate damage
100 BC Marche VIII-X Severe damage
217 BC-06 Etruria X Severe damage
Note: The NGDC has records for significant events that go back several thousand years BCE. Added for source diversity, the United States Geological Survey reports are sufficient from the early 1980s to the present. Occasionally, these sources omit the maximum felt intensity. Rovida et al. 2011 can help fill in some of the gaps. Intensity values derived from this source are indicated with an asterisk. The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded.

See also

  • Geology of Italy
  • List of earthquakes in Albania
  • List of earthquakes in Croatia
  • List of earthquakes in Greece

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