Italy Earthquakes – From Apennine Faults to Volcanic Unrest

No M1.5+ Italy earthquakes have been recorded in the past 24 hours.

Latest Recorded Earthquakes Across Italy

The map displays events of magnitude 1.5+ that meet this page’s regional filters. Use the buttons to choose the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, then click a marker for magnitude, reported location, UTC, and depth. Counts and lists update when the page loads or refreshes.

italy earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)

Regional coverage: This view includes Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and selected nearby offshore areas. It is not a complete map of every earthquake in the Adriatic, Ionian or Tyrrhenian seas. Offshore and border coverage depends on coordinates and catalogue location descriptions; neighbouring countries have their own regional maps.

Italy’s Earthquakes Have More Than One Cause

Italy is one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone countries, but its earthquakes do not all come from the same process. The Apennines are stretching in many places, parts of the Alpine and northern Apennine margins are being compressed, and a descending slab generates earthquakes deep beneath the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Active volcanoes add another layer of local seismicity.

The broad setting involves the interaction of Africa, Eurasia and smaller blocks such as Adria. That interaction does not push every part of Italy in the same direction. Mountain building, extension, sideways movement and subduction can occur in different parts of a relatively small area. The result is a varied earthquake landscape rather than one continuous fault beneath the country.

This also explains why the map needs more than a glance at magnitude. A shallow earthquake beneath an Apennine town can have very different consequences from a larger event hundreds of kilometres deep offshore. Our Europe earthquake page places Italy within the wider Mediterranean setting, while the regional detail below explains what changes from north to south.

Along the Apennines, the Mountains Are Stretching

The Apennines run down much of the peninsula, but their earthquake activity is not just the result of mountains being squeezed upward. Across much of the central chain, the crust is extending. Normal faults accommodate that stretching as one side moves downward relative to the other, sometimes breaking the ground surface during a large earthquake.

Abruzzo, Umbria, Marche and neighbouring areas contain important examples of these active fault systems. The 2009 L’Aquila earthquake and the 2016 central Italy sequence were shallow events in populated mountain regions. INGV’s explanation of the 2016 sequence links the earthquakes to extension across the Apennines.

Farther south, the Campania–Basilicata sector also contains major earthquake sources. The 1980 Irpinia disaster affected a broad inland region, showing that Campania’s earthquake hazard extends well beyond its volcanoes. An earthquake in the southern Apennines should not automatically be associated with Vesuvius or Campi Flegrei because it happened in the same administrative region.

Northern Italy Is Not Outside the Earthquake Belt

Friuli and the Alpine Margins

Northeastern Italy lies near the meeting of the Alps, the Dinarides and the Adriatic region. Compression and thrust faulting make Friuli an important seismic area. Earthquakes can affect communities on both sides of modern borders, linking the geological picture with Slovenia and the wider Balkans.

The 1976 Friuli sequence brought severe destruction to towns near the mountain front. Its legacy includes both reconstruction and the development of regional monitoring. Today, the Seismological Research Centre of OGS follows earthquakes in northeastern Italy and surrounding areas, providing a closer regional view than a global event feed.

The Po Plain and Buried Faults

An area does not have to look mountainous to contain active earthquake sources. Beneath the Po Plain, sediment conceals folds and faults connected to the surrounding mountain belts. The 2012 Emilia earthquakes made that hidden setting impossible to overlook, damaging towns, industrial buildings and historic structures.

The published macroseismic survey of the Emilia sequence documents the distribution of effects. Soft sediments and the vulnerability of individual structures help determine losses, so a flat landscape or a long quiet interval is not evidence that damaging shaking cannot occur.

Calabria and the Earthquakes Far Below the Sea

Southern Calabria and the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea have a subduction setting. Part of the Ionian lithosphere descends beneath the Calabrian region, and earthquakes can originate within that slab far below the shallow crust. These events help scientists trace a plate that is no longer visible at the surface.

A deep earthquake beneath the southern Tyrrhenian may be felt over a wide area, yet produce a different pattern of surface shaking from a shallow rupture of similar magnitude. INGV’s explanation of deep Tyrrhenian earthquakes discusses their characteristics. The presence of submarine volcanoes does not mean that every deep earthquake is caused by magma moving beneath them.

The Strait of Messina adds another important setting, where active deformation lies close to densely settled coasts. The 1908 earthquake and tsunami devastated Messina and Reggio Calabria. That history belongs to the assessment of the strait itself and should not be treated as interchangeable with the deep slab earthquakes farther offshore.

Sicily and Campania Add Volcanic Complexity

Etna’s Moving Flank

Around Etna, magma intrusion and movement of the volcano’s flank can interact with local faults. Earthquakes may be extremely shallow, allowing a modest magnitude to produce serious damage nearby. This is one reason volcanic-area earthquakes need their own context rather than being judged only against larger regional tectonic events.

On 26 December 2018, an Mw4.9 earthquake affected Etna’s eastern flank. INGV’s field investigation describes the event and associated surface effects. Its lasting relevance is the combination of shallow faulting, settlement close to the source and ground rupture, rather than its place in a list of Italy’s biggest earthquakes.

Campi Flegrei and Bradyseism

Campi Flegrei is an active caldera west of Naples. Its ground undergoes uplift and subsidence known as bradyseism, and episodes of unrest can include swarms of shallow earthquakes. The shaking, deformation and condition of buildings can all matter to local safety, even when individual earthquakes are much smaller than destructive Apennine events.

The Civil Protection explanation of bradyseism distinguishes this problem from a simple earthquake sequence on a regional fault. An earthquake swarm does not, on its own, establish that an eruption is imminent. Specialists assess seismicity together with ground movement, gases and other measurements.

Campi Flegrei, Vesuvius and Etna are separate volcanic systems. Current assessments and local instructions should come from the relevant observatory and civil-protection authorities. A historical episode, a coloured earthquake marker or an alarming social-media graphic cannot substitute for that information.

Why Similar Magnitudes Can Produce Different Damage

Italy’s earthquake losses reflect the combination of shaking, local ground and the buildings exposed to it. Older masonry can be vulnerable where walls, floors and roofs are poorly connected. Industrial structures, bridges, hospitals and historic monuments have different weaknesses and require different forms of assessment. National design requirements do not mean every existing building has the same level of protection.

Ground conditions also change the experience. Sediment-filled basins can amplify or prolong shaking, while steep slopes can fail and cut roads. A small mountain community may have only a few access routes, so a landslide or a damaged bridge can complicate rescue and recovery even away from the strongest shaking.

Use earthquake magnitude to understand the size of the source, not as a direct damage score for a town. Intensity describes effects at a particular place. Distance, depth, rupture direction, soil and building characteristics can give two towns very different outcomes from the same earthquake.

Did you know?
The 2018 Etna earthquake was smaller than magnitude 5, yet its very shallow source and surface faulting caused serious local damage. A damaging earthquake does not have to be one of the largest events on a national map.
INGV’s Etna field investigation

Earthquakes That Changed Italian Communities

Italy’s long historical record makes it possible to study damaging earthquakes well before modern instruments existed. That record is valuable, but older magnitudes and casualty estimates carry uncertainty. The events below are selected for their enduring significance, not as a ranking or a rolling list of recent earthquakes.

• 1693 eastern Sicily earthquake and tsunami
  The January 1693 sequence devastated communities in eastern Sicily, with the strongest earthquake on 11 January commonly reconstructed at about magnitude 7.3. A study of the associated tsunami examines competing explanations for its source and propagation. The disaster combined destruction on land with coastal inundation, and its precise source remains a subject of research.
• 1908 Messina and Reggio Calabria, estimated M7.1
  On 28 December, a destructive earthquake struck the Strait of Messina and was followed by a tsunami. Communities on both sides of the strait suffered catastrophic losses. INGV’s research summary discusses the earthquake’s source. Historical death estimates vary, so an apparently exact figure would imply more certainty than the record supports.
• 1915 Marsica earthquake, about M7.0
  The 13 January earthquake devastated Avezzano and communities around the Fucino basin. The Civil Protection account of the Marsica disaster places its epicentre in the Fucino Plain and describes its effects across central Italy. It is a defining example of a large earthquake within the Apennines, far from an erupting volcano.
• 1976 Friuli earthquake sequence, M6.5 mainshock
  The 6 May earthquake severely affected the middle Tagliamento valley and surrounding towns, followed by further damaging shocks later in the year. Italy’s Civil Protection history describes the destruction and response. The reconstruction became an important chapter in the development of Italian civil protection and community recovery.
• 1980 Irpinia earthquake, M6.9
  On 23 November, a major earthquake struck Campania and Basilicata, causing widespread destruction across numerous settlements. The Civil Protection account of the disaster explains its scale and consequences. The difficulties of the response helped drive changes in how Italy organised disaster management.
• 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, Mw6.3
  The 6 April earthquake struck close to L’Aquila and neighbouring communities in Abruzzo. Civil Protection’s anniversary summary gives a moment magnitude of 6.3; other catalogues and revised source solutions may quote a different value. It caused destructive shaking, damage to historic buildings and prolonged displacement. The INGV field-investigation page links studies of the rupture, while Civil Protection’s emergency account documents the wider response and recovery needs.
• 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence
  Strong earthquakes on 20 and 29 May affected the Po Plain, with damage to industrial premises, historic centres and other buildings. The macroseismic survey published by INGV researchers describes the sequence and its effects. It remains an important example of damaging earthquakes generated by sources concealed beneath a sedimentary plain.
• 2016 central Italy earthquake sequence
  An Mw6.0 earthquake near Accumoli and Amatrice on 24 August was followed by major October earthquakes, including the Mw6.5 Norcia event on 30 October. INGV’s sequence summary describes the successive ruptures. The event sequence devastated mountain communities and demonstrates why recovery must allow for further strong shaking after an initial disaster.

Italy’s Coasts Have a Tsunami History

The 1693 Sicily and 1908 Messina disasters show that Mediterranean coasts can experience destructive tsunamis. But an offshore earthquake is not automatically a tsunami-generating earthquake. Magnitude, focal depth, fault movement and displacement of the seabed all matter; underwater landslides and volcanic processes can also generate waves.

Italy’s warning arrangements bring together INGV’s Tsunami Alert Centre, ISPRA’s sea-level monitoring and the Civil Protection Department. The official tsunami preparedness guidance explains their roles and public protective actions. Information or warning messages require interpretation by the responsible services, not by the number of offshore markers on this page.

Near the coast, strong or prolonged shaking, a sudden unusual change in sea level or other natural warning signs call for prompt action. Once it is safe to move, follow local evacuation routes inland or to higher ground. Do not go to a harbour or beach to check the sea, and do not return until authorities say it is safe.

Being Prepared in a Historic Town or a Modern City

Start with the places you actually use. At home, secure items that could fall. At work or in holiday accommodation, identify exits, safer places to shelter and the meeting area named in the emergency plan. If you are visiting a town recovering from an earlier earthquake, respect restricted streets and damaged-building cordons even when the surrounding shops and cafés are open.

During the Shaking

Get low, protect your head and neck and shelter under a sturdy table where possible. Hold on until the shaking stops. Keep away from windows, heavy furniture and unstable objects, and do not rush down stairs or outside while debris may be falling. If you are already outdoors, move away from façades, balconies, power lines and unstable slopes when safe to do so.

The Io non rischio earthquake campaign provides Italy-specific advice before, during and after an earthquake. Afterwards, expect aftershocks, avoid damaged structures and follow instructions about assembly areas and building inspections. Do not assume a building is safe because its exterior looks largely intact.

A Practical Preparation List

• Secure wardrobes, shelves and heavy objects, especially above beds and seating areas.
• Keep water, food, medication, a torch, a first aid kit and a charged power bank accessible.
• Learn your municipality’s emergency arrangements and agreed gathering areas.
• Have a household contact and meeting plan that works if mobile networks are interrupted.
• Near the coast, identify a route inland or uphill that can be followed on foot.
• In mountain areas, allow for roads being blocked by rockfalls, landslides or damaged structures.
• Use official volcano and civil-protection updates for active volcanic areas rather than inferring risk from earthquake counts alone.

Our Earthquake Safety guide covers protective actions, and the Earthquake Preparedness guide helps with emergency supplies and planning.

The Networks Behind Italy’s Earthquake Information

Italy’s national seismic network and regional observatories provide a much more detailed picture than a global catalogue alone. Seismologists locate events, review their parameters and study fault movement, while volcanic observatories combine earthquakes with other measurements. Civil-protection authorities use scientific information alongside local conditions to make public-safety decisions.

• INGV earthquake service publishes earthquake locations, magnitudes, depths and reviewed event information for Italy and surrounding regions.
• OGS regional seismology service monitors northeastern Italy and neighbouring areas.
• INGV Osservatorio Vesuviano monitors the volcanic areas of Campania, including Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius.
• INGV Osservatorio Etneo provides monitoring and scientific information on Etna and other Sicilian volcanic systems.
• INGV Tsunami Alert Centre assesses potentially tsunami-generating earthquakes and works within the warning system.
• Civil Protection Department provides national emergency information and guidance alongside regional and municipal authorities.

The live events on this page come from the shared USGS regional dataset. Local observatory catalogues may contain additional small events, different initial magnitudes or later revisions. Monitoring and hazard assessment support preparation, but they do not reliably predict the exact time, location and magnitude of the next damaging earthquake.

🗺️ Earthquake Regions Around Italy

Across the Adriatic and Ionian seas
Balkans Earthquakes | Greece Earthquakes

Compare the wider European picture
Europe Earthquakes | Turkey Earthquakes | Iceland Earthquakes

Earthquakes Today Worldwide