Earthquakes in Sant'Alfio
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.224 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Sant'Alfio plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Sant'Alfio
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Sant'Alfio over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2012HF27 June 2012
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Versante orientale earthquake (M3.2), epicentre 5 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2010HF2 April 2010
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Piano Pernicana (Linguaglossa) earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 5 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2009HF25 August 2009
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Piano Pernicana (Linguaglossa) earthquake (M3.6), epicentre 6 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2009HF14 March 2009
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Versante orientale earthquake (M3.5), epicentre 5 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2006HF29 August 2006
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Versante nord-orientale earthquake (M3.1), epicentre 6 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2006HF20 May 2006
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Etna - Versante sud-occidentale earthquake (M3.9), epicentre 18 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2002D27 October 2002
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Etna - Piano Provenzana (Linguaglossa) earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 6 km away · observed at Rifugio Citelli
- 2000V-VI11 January 2000
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Etna - S. Alfio earthquake (M3.4), epicentre 6 km away
- 1985VI26 December 1985
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Etna - S. Alfio earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 6 km away
- 1952V-VI19 March 1952
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 13 km away
- 1952V-VI19 March 1952
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Etna - Linera (S. Venerina) earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 13 km away · observed at Perriera
- 1818VIII20 February 1818
Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
Catanese earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 18 km away
…and 105 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 14 km from Gela-Catania, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Sant'Alfio sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
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 · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Sant'Alfio?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Sant'Alfio area: the latest nearby dates back to 5 days ago.
Is Sant'Alfio a seismic area?
Sant'Alfio 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 Sant'Alfio?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Sant'Alfio was magnitude 4.9, in 2018.
When was the last quake near Sant'Alfio?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Sant'Alfio was 3 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)