Province of Cosenza

Earthquakes in Carolei

1.2
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km East of Pietrafitta

10 days ago · 15 Aug, 00:07
Depth 12 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
7
days since the last quake nearby
1,769
quakes recorded since 2014
~2 days
on average, one quake every
6.1
The strongest within 30 km
15 km West of Longobardi
3 months ago · 2 Jun, 00:12

INGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.

How seismic is this area?

Zone1
Seismic zone 1

The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.

High
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 = 0.263 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
5
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
42
In the area
last 12 months
M6.1
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Carolei plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 24 months ago · 3,462 inhabitants

The seismic history of Carolei

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

  1. 2005II23 April 2005

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

    Costa calabra settentrionale earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 58 km away

  2. 2001IV18 October 2001

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

    Valle del Crati earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 13 km away

  3. 1997IV8 July 1997

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

    Valle del Crati earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 16 km away

  4. 1996III-IV6 August 1996

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

    Valle del Crati earthquake (M3.1), epicentre 5 km away

  5. 1996III27 April 1996

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Sila Greca earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 35 km away

  6. 1993II-III10 August 1993

    Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.

    Golfo di Taranto earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 83 km away

  7. 1991IV-V15 December 1991

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Cosentino earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 15 km away

  8. 1947IV-V11 May 1947

    Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 71 km away

  9. 1905VII8 September 1905

    Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 52 km away

  10. 1854VIII12 February 1854

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Cosentino earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 7 km away

  11. 1783VII-VIII28 March 1783

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 56 km away

  12. 1638IX-X27 March 1638

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 23 km away

…and 3 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.

16387.1
Calabria centrale earthquake
27 March 1638 · 23 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
11846.8
Valle del Crati earthquake
24 May 1184 · 17 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18546.3
Cosentino earthquake
12 February 1854 · 7 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18706.2
Cosentino earthquake
4 October 1870 · 11 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Savuto Valley

The town lies about 5 km from Savuto Valley, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 2 and 14 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

August 20262eventsmax 1.4
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.2
1 km East of Pietrafitta
12 km East · 12 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 00:07
1.4
16 km West of Longobardi
27 km West · 60 km
23 days ago
2 Aug, 01:47
2.2
3 km West of Cosenza
3 km North-East · 11 km
1 month ago
16 Jul, 12:49
1.1
13 km West of Longobardi
23 km West · 44 km
1 month ago
12 Jul, 16:40
1.0
1 km South-West of Cosenza
5 km North-East · 12 km
2 months ago
26 Jun, 00:55
0.8
3 km North-East of Cosenza
9 km North-East · 18 km
2 months ago
21 Jun, 08:51
2.7
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
65 km West · 289 km
2 months ago
21 Jun, 01:08
1.2
12 km West of Longobardi
23 km West · 51 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 06:04
2.0
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
74 km West · 224 km
2 months ago
15 Jun, 10:21
1.8
3 months ago
7 Jun, 21:31

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Carolei is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 22% of the 150 towns in the province.
Carolei5
Nearby towns average34

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

Context

Province of Cosenza41 events · 30gCalabria region94 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 078026

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Carolei?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Carolei area: the latest nearby dates back to 10 days ago.

Is Carolei a seismic area?

Carolei is classified in seismic zone 1 by the Civil Protection. The most severe class: strong earthquakes are possible here and buildings follow the strictest anti-seismic rules.

What was the strongest earthquake near Carolei?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Carolei was magnitude 6.1, in 2026.

When was the last quake near Carolei?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Carolei was 8 days 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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