Province of Catania

Earthquakes in Misterbianco

1.9
very light
LATEST QUAKE

12 km South-East of Aci Castello

21 days ago · 4 Aug, 14:32
Depth 10 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
5
days since the last quake nearby
3,770
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
4.9
The strongest within 30 km
2 km North of Aci Sant'Antonio
93 months ago · 26 Dec, 03:19

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 = 0.210 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
119
In the area
last 12 months
M4.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Misterbianco plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 31 months ago · 47,356 inhabitants

The seismic history of Misterbianco

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

  1. 2018IV26 December 2018

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

    Etna - Fleri earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 21 km away

  2. 2018IV6 October 2018

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

    Etna - Versante sud-occidentale earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 18 km away

  3. 2016III8 February 2016

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 58 km away

  4. 2001III26 May 2001

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

    Ionio meridionale earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 117 km away

  5. 1990III16 December 1990

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

    Ionio meridionale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 49 km away

  6. 1990V-VI13 December 1990

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 43 km away

  7. 1986II-III29 January 1986

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

    Etna - Nicolosi earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 14 km away

  8. 1974IV28 March 1974

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

    Etna - Versante meridionale earthquake (M3.2), epicentre 24 km away

  9. 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 95 km away

  10. 1905V8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 172 km away

  11. 1818VII20 February 1818

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

    Catanese earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 18 km away

  12. 1693X-XI11 January 1693

    Catastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 39 km away

…and 19 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.

16937.3
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
11 January 1693 · 39 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
15426.7
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
10 December 1542 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
11696.5
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
4 February 1169 · 31 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18186.3
Catanese earthquake
20 February 1818 · 18 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

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

The closest seismic structure

Gela-Catania

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

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 3 and 10 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 1.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.9
21 days ago
4 Aug, 14:32
1.3
3 km North-East of Trecastagni
22 km North-East · 10 km
24 days ago
1 Aug, 12:51
1.5
3 km North of Nicolosi
22 km North · 5 km
1 month ago
25 Jul, 09:41
1.1
1 month ago
19 Jul, 23:50
2.2
1 km East of Santa Maria di Licodia
17 km North-West · 6 km
1 month ago
19 Jul, 18:41
2.0
17 km South of Aci Castello
21 km East · 22 km
1 month ago
17 Jul, 05:19
1.8
2 km East of Santa Maria di Licodia
17 km North-West · 1 km
1 month ago
16 Jul, 10:19
1.5
4 km North-East of Nicolosi
22 km North · 4 km
2 months ago
15 Jun, 09:06
2.1
10 km South of Motta Sant'Anastasia
14 km South-West · 10 km
3 months ago
10 Jun, 01:22
1.6
3 km North-West of Paternò
17 km West · 3 km
3 months ago
25 May, 12:08

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Misterbianco is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 11% of the 58 towns in the province.
Misterbianco5
Nearby towns average116

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

Context

Province of Catania23 events · 30gSicily region127 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 087029

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Misterbianco?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Misterbianco area: the latest nearby dates back to 21 days ago.

Is Misterbianco a seismic area?

Misterbianco 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 Misterbianco?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Misterbianco was magnitude 4.9, in 2018.

When was the last quake near Misterbianco?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Misterbianco was 5 days ago.

Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

We use cookies to analyse site traffic and improve your experience.

Privacy PolicyCookie Policy