Province of Catania

Earthquakes in Ragalna

1.8
very light
LATEST QUAKE

5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio

5 days ago · 20 Aug, 08:54
Depth 1 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
3
days since the last quake nearby
6,250
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 = 0.217 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
574
In the town
total on record
34
In the town
last 12 months
324
In the area
last 12 months
M4.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Ragalna plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 3 months ago · 3,676 inhabitants

The seismic history of Ragalna

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

  1. 2018V6 October 2018

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

    Etna - Versante sud-occidentale earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 7 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  2. 2008V16 December 2008

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

    Etna - Versante sud-occidentale earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 2 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  3. 2001VI3 May 2001

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.4), epicentre 3 km away

  4. 2001VI3 May 2001

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.4), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  5. 1986V-VI21 January 1986

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  6. 1986V-VI11 January 1986

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

    Etna - Versante sud-occidentale earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 7 km away

  7. 1986V-VI8 January 1986

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 3 km away

  8. 1982VI4 June 1982

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.5), epicentre 2 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  9. 1974VI11 February 1974

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M3.2), epicentre 2 km away · observed at Ragalna Est

  10. 1916V-VI30 May 1916

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

    Etna - Ragalna earthquake (M2.9), epicentre 5 km away

  11. 1898VII14 May 1898

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

    Etna - S. Maria Licodia earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 8 km away

  12. 1892V-VI8 July 1892

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

    Etna - Versante meridionale earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 4 km away

…and 93 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.

15426.7
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
10 December 1542 · 49 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
11696.5
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
4 February 1169 · 49 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18186.3
Catanese earthquake
20 February 1818 · 17 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17866.1
Golfo di Patti earthquake
10 March 1786 · 50 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Gela-Catania

The town lies about 8 km from Gela-Catania, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

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 20269eventsmax 3.1
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.8
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
18 km North-East · 1 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 08:54
1.3
5 days ago
20 Aug, 08:42
3.1
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
18 km North-East · 2 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 07:47
1.2
3 km South-West of Sant'Alfio
13 km North-East · 4 km
7 days ago
18 Aug, 10:50
1.3
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
18 km North-East · 0 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 07:55
1.7
6 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
17 km North-East · 3 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 14:30
1.4
4 km West of Sant'Alfio
13 km North-East · 7 km
14 days ago
10 Aug, 22:58
1.7
8 km West of Sant'Alfio
10 km North-East · 0 km
22 days ago
3 Aug, 09:22
1.3
24 days ago
1 Aug, 12:51
1.4
25 days ago
31 Jul, 19:27

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Ragalna 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 96% of the 58 towns in the province.
Ragalna574
Nearby towns average326

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: 087058

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Ragalna?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ragalna area: the latest nearby dates back to 5 days ago.

Is Ragalna a seismic area?

Ragalna 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 Ragalna?

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

When was the last quake near Ragalna?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ragalna was 4 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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