Earthquakes in Palmi
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
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.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.266 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Palmi plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Palmi
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Palmi over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 1978V15 April 1978
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 69 km away
- 1977V15 August 1977
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 109 km away
- 1975VI16 January 1975
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Stretto di Messina earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 36 km away
- 1921V19 June 1921
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Calabria meridionale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 10 km away
- 1912V22 December 1912
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Stretto di Messina earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 30 km away
- 1911V11 March 1911
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Calabria meridionale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 8 km away
- 1908VIII-IX28 December 1908
Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 31 km away
- 1905VII8 September 1905
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 49 km away
- 1894VIII16 November 1894
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Calabria meridionale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 11 km away
- 1828VII12 March 1828
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Calabria meridionale earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 19 km away
- 1791VI13 October 1791
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 44 km away
- 1783X-XI5 February 1783
Catastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
Calabria meridionale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 13 km away
…and 31 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 5 km from Gioia Tauro, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Palmi sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Reggio Calabria20 events · 30gCalabria region94 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Palmi?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Palmi area: the latest nearby dates back to 10 days ago.
Is Palmi a seismic area?
Palmi 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 Palmi?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Palmi was magnitude 4.1, in 2022.
When was the last quake near Palmi?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Palmi was 3 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)