Province of Vibo Valentia

Earthquakes in Pizzo

2.2
light
LATEST QUAKE

15 km North of Briatico

22 days ago · 2 Aug, 20:33
Depth 52 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
845
quakes recorded since 2014
~5 days
on average, one quake every
4.3
The strongest within 30 km
15 km North of Briatico
56 months ago · 20 Jan, 10:19

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 = 0.269 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
13
In the town
total on record
2
In the town
last 12 months
17
In the area
last 12 months
M4.3
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Pizzo plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 2 months ago · 8,885 inhabitants

The seismic history of Pizzo

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

  1. 1980VI9 December 1980

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

    Golfo di Sant'Eufemia earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 3 km away

  2. 1947VII11 May 1947

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 31 km away

  3. 1908VII28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 80 km away

  4. 1905VIII8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 18 km away

  5. 1894VI16 November 1894

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

    Calabria meridionale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 58 km away

  6. 1791VII13 October 1791

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 14 km away

  7. 1783IX28 March 1783

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 24 km away

  8. 1783VII-VIII7 February 1783

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 19 km away

  9. 1783VII-VIII5 February 1783

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

    Calabria meridionale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 54 km away

  10. 1738VII23 May 1738

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 17 km away

  11. 1659VII5 November 1659

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.6), epicentre 8 km away

  12. 1638VIII27 March 1638

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 34 km away

…and 30 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 · 34 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17837.0
Calabria centrale earthquake
28 March 1783 · 24 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
19057.0
Calabria centrale earthquake
8 September 1905 · 18 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17836.7
Calabria centrale earthquake
7 February 1783 · 19 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.

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

The closest seismic structure

Sant'Eufemia

The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 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 2.2
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

2.2
15 km North of Briatico
15 km North-West · 52 km
22 days ago
2 Aug, 20:33
1.4
6 km North-West of Briatico
16 km West · 10 km
1 month ago
21 Jul, 21:32
1.0
1 km East of Francica
15 km South · 16 km
1 month ago
15 Jul, 19:44
1.6
1 km North-East of Francica
15 km South-West · 16 km
1 month ago
14 Jul, 05:16
1.8
10 km North-West of Pizzo
10 km North-West · 9 km
2 months ago
2 Jul, 20:36
1.6
2 months ago
22 Jun, 22:30
1.5
5 km North of Pizzo
5 km North · 9 km
2 months ago
19 Jun, 22:10
1.0
8 km North-East of Briatico
9 km West · 11 km
3 months ago
24 May, 00:03
1.0
1 km West of Vallelonga
14 km South-East · 8 km
3 months ago
15 May, 14:03
1.6
16 km North of Briatico
16 km North-West · 46 km
4 months ago
5 May, 22:03

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Pizzo sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 80% of the 50 towns in the province.
Pizzo13
Nearby towns average8.8

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

Context

Province of Vibo Valentia15 events · 30gCalabria region93 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 102027

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Pizzo?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Pizzo area: the latest nearby dates back to 22 days ago.

Is Pizzo a seismic area?

Pizzo 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 Pizzo?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Pizzo was magnitude 4.3, in 2022.

When was the last quake near Pizzo?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Pizzo was 11 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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