Province of Catania

Earthquakes in Santa Venerina

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
5
days since the last quake nearby
5,762
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 = 0.226 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
120
In the town
total on record
3
In the town
last 12 months
191
In the area
last 12 months
M4.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Santa Venerina plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 4 months ago · 8,351 inhabitants

The seismic history of Santa Venerina

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

  1. 2002VIII29 October 2002

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

    Etna - Bongiardo (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Bongiardo

  2. 2002VIII29 October 2002

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

    Etna - Bongiardo (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Scura

  3. 1914IX-X8 May 1914

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Linera

  4. 1914VIII-IX8 May 1914

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Maria Vergine

  5. 1914VIII-IX8 May 1914

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Cosentini

  6. 1914VIII8 May 1914

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

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Dagala

  7. 1914VIII8 May 1914

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

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Bongiardo

  8. 1914VIII8 May 1914

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

    Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Ardichetto

  9. 1911VIII15 October 1911

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

    Etna - Fondo Macchia (Giarre) earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 2 km away · observed at Palombaro

  10. 1911VIII15 October 1911

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

    Etna - Fondo Macchia (Giarre) earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 2 km away · observed at Fago

  11. 1879VIII-IX17 June 1879

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Etna - Bongiardo (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Dagala

  12. 1879VIII-IX17 June 1879

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Etna - Bongiardo (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Bongiardo

…and 396 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.

18186.3
Catanese earthquake
20 February 1818 · 9 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17866.1
Golfo di Patti earthquake
10 March 1786 · 48 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19905.6
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
13 December 1990 · 49 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
17805.5
Sicilia nord-orientale earthquake
28 March 1780 · 25 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

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

The closest seismic structure

Gela-Catania

The town lies about 4 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 202617eventsmax 3.9
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
15 km North-West · 1 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 08:54
1.3
5 days ago
20 Aug, 08:42
1.2
5 km West of Linguaglossa
15 km North-West · 1 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 08:03
1.1
5 km South-West of Linguaglossa
15 km North-West · 0 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 07:49
3.1
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
15 km North-West · 2 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 07:47
1.0
5 km West of Linguaglossa
15 km North-West · 1 km
5 days ago
20 Aug, 07:36
1.2
3 km South-West of Sant'Alfio
11 km North-West · 4 km
7 days ago
18 Aug, 10:50
1.3
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
15 km North-West · 0 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 07:55
1.7
6 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
16 km North-West · 3 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 14:30
1.1
4 km West of Linguaglossa
16 km North-West · 1 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 12:49

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Santa Venerina 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 81% of the 58 towns in the province.
Santa Venerina120
Nearby towns average251

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: 087048

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Santa Venerina?

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

Is Santa Venerina a seismic area?

Santa Venerina 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 Santa Venerina?

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

When was the last quake near Santa Venerina?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Santa Venerina 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)

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