Province of Vibo Valentia

Earthquakes in Polia

1.8
very light
LATEST QUAKE

10 km North-West of Pizzo

2 months ago · 2 Jul, 20:36
Depth 9 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
18
days since the last quake nearby
998
quakes recorded since 2014
~4 days
on average, one quake every
4.3
The strongest within 30 km
6 km East of Borgia
47 months ago · 13 Oct, 00:44

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 = 0.266 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
6
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
22
In the area
last 12 months
M3.2
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Polia plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 39 months ago · 1,048 inhabitants

The seismic history of Polia

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

  1. 1947VII11 May 1947

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 20 km away

  2. 1908VIII28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 87 km away

  3. 1905IX8 September 1905

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 29 km away

  4. 1905D8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 29 km away · observed at Trecroci

  5. 1791VIII13 October 1791

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 14 km away · observed at Poliolo

  6. 1791VIII13 October 1791

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

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

  7. 1783VIII-IX28 March 1783

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 12 km away · observed at Poliolo

  8. 1783VIII28 March 1783

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 12 km away · observed at Trecroci

  9. 1783VII-VIII7 February 1783

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 22 km away · observed at Poliolo

  10. 1783VI-VII7 February 1783

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 22 km away · observed at Trecroci

  11. 1659X5 November 1659

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M6.6), epicentre 9 km away · observed at Trecroci

  12. 1638VIII-IX27 March 1638

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 33 km away · observed at Trecroci

…and 6 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 · 33 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17837.0
Calabria centrale earthquake
28 March 1783 · 12 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
19057.0
Calabria centrale earthquake
8 September 1905 · 29 km from here
X-XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17836.7
Calabria centrale earthquake
7 February 1783 · 22 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

Serre

The town lies about 6 km from Serre, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.2between 3 and 11 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

July 20261eventmax 1.8
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.8
10 km North-West of Pizzo
19 km North-West · 9 km
2 months ago
2 Jul, 20:36
1.6
3 km West of Monterosso Calabro
6 km South-West · 15 km
2 months ago
22 Jun, 22:30
1.5
5 km North of Pizzo
14 km West · 9 km
2 months ago
19 Jun, 22:10
1.4
3 km North-East of Cortale
15 km North-East · 10 km
2 months ago
15 Jun, 01:35
1.0
1 km West of Vallelonga
12 km South · 8 km
3 months ago
15 May, 14:03
1.3
1 km South of Olivadi
8 km East · 8 km
4 months ago
11 May, 00:06
1.3
4 months ago
6 May, 05:58
1.1
4 months ago
3 May, 23:02
2.6
1 km West of Olivadi
8 km East · 8 km
4 months ago
3 May, 22:29
1.3
4 months ago
29 Apr, 13:29

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Polia records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 61% of the 50 towns in the province.
Polia6
Nearby towns average10

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: 102029

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Polia?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Polia area: the latest nearby dates back to 2 months ago.

Is Polia a seismic area?

Polia 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 Polia?

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

When was the last quake near Polia?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Polia was 19 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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