Province of Cosenza

Earthquakes in Scalea

1.9
very light
LATEST QUAKE

2 km South-East of Buonvicino

8 days ago · 17 Aug, 08:20
Depth 24 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
1,173
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
5.4
The strongest within 30 km
9 km West of San Nicola Arcella
46 months ago · 31 Oct, 22:42

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

How seismic is this area?

Zone2
Seismic zone 2

A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

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

Medium
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 = 0.159 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
31
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
61
In the area
last 12 months
M5.4
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Scalea plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 17 months ago · 10,152 inhabitants

The seismic history of Scalea

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

  1. 2012IV25 October 2012

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

    Pollino earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 19 km away

  2. 1982VII21 March 1982

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

    Golfo di Policastro earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 6 km away

  3. 1980V23 November 1980

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

    Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (M6.8), epicentre 123 km away

  4. 1930V23 July 1930

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

    Irpinia earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 146 km away

  5. 1913VI28 June 1913

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Calabria settentrionale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 49 km away

  6. 1905VI8 September 1905

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 113 km away

  7. 1857VII-VIII16 December 1857

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

    Basilicata earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 60 km away

  8. 1854VI12 February 1854

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Cosentino earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 75 km away

  9. 1783V-VI28 March 1783

    Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 128 km away

  10. 1783V5 February 1783

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

    Calabria meridionale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 169 km away

  11. 1693V8 January 1693

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

    Pollino earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 31 km away

  12. 1638VII-VIII27 March 1638

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 95 km away

…and 16 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.

19775.9
Golfo di Policastro earthquake
30 December 1977 · 36 km from here
18365.9
Appennino lucano earthquake
20 November 1836 · 37 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19135.6
Calabria settentrionale earthquake
28 June 1913 · 49 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
17085.6
Pollino earthquake
26 January 1708 · 29 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Rimendiello-Mormanno

The town lies about 19 km from Rimendiello-Mormanno, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.6between 1 and 12 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 20261eventmax 1.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.9
2 km South-East of Buonvicino
19 km South-East · 24 km
8 days ago
17 Aug, 08:20
1.3
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
32 km South-West · 4 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 03:44
1.9
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
37 km South-West · 7 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 03:36
1.5
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
32 km South-West · 5 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 03:26
1.9
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
37 km South-West · 8 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 03:15
1.5
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
38 km South-West · 9 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 03:03
1.5
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
36 km South-West · 26 km
27 days ago
28 Jul, 23:24
1.5
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
38 km South-West · 30 km
27 days ago
28 Jul, 22:50
1.2
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
36 km South-West · 6 km
27 days ago
28 Jul, 22:46
2.2
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
38 km South-West · 9 km
27 days ago
28 Jul, 22:32

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Scalea records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 77% of the 150 towns in the province.
Scalea31
Nearby towns average62

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: 078138

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Scalea?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Scalea area: the latest nearby dates back to 8 days ago.

Is Scalea a seismic area?

Scalea is classified in seismic zone 2 by the Civil Protection. A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.

What was the strongest earthquake near Scalea?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Scalea was magnitude 5.4, in 2022.

When was the last quake near Scalea?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Scalea was 2 hours 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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