Province of Catania

Earthquakes in Vizzini

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

9 km South of Palazzolo Acreide

6 days ago · 19 Aug, 08:04
Depth 16 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
6
days since the last quake nearby
440
quakes recorded since 2014
~10 days
on average, one quake every
4.2
The strongest within 30 km
11 km North of Rosolini
128 months ago · 8 Feb, 16:35

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 = 0.269 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
17
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
37
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Vizzini plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 9 months ago · 6,409 inhabitants

The seismic history of Vizzini

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

  1. 1997V30 July 1997

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 3 km away

  2. 1990VI13 December 1990

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 60 km away

  3. 1978V15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 137 km away · observed at Stazione di Vizzini-Licodia

  4. 1978V15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 137 km away

  5. 1908VI28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 134 km away

  6. 1897V28 May 1897

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

    Ionio earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 330 km away

  7. 1895VI-VII13 April 1895

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

    Monti Iblei ? earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 14 km away

  8. 1818VII-VIII1 March 1818

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 3 km away

  9. 1698VII-VIII1 January 1698

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

    Monti Iblei settentrionali earthquake (M5.7), epicentre 13 km away

  10. 1693X11 January 1693

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 21 km away

  11. 1693VIII9 January 1693

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 23 km away

  12. 1542VIII10 December 1542

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 15 km away

…and 22 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 · 21 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
15426.7
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
10 December 1542 · 15 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
11696.5
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
4 February 1169 · 16 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16936.1
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
9 January 1693 · 23 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

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

The closest seismic structure

Ragusa-Palagonia

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

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 and 23 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 20263eventsmax 1.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
9 km South of Palazzolo Acreide
27 km South-East · 16 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 08:04
1.9
6 km East of Ragusa
28 km South · 27 km
21 days ago
4 Aug, 12:31
1.6
6 km East of Ragusa
29 km South · 25 km
21 days ago
4 Aug, 12:28
1.5
2 km East of Chiaramonte Gulfi
18 km South-West · 18 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 11:09
1.3
2 km South-East of Mazzarrone
21 km South-West · 23 km
1 month ago
23 Jul, 21:45
1.3
2 km North of Chiaramonte Gulfi
17 km South-West · 29 km
2 months ago
10 Jul, 10:32
1.5
6 km South-West of Mineo
19 km North-West · 27 km
2 months ago
2 Jul, 22:01
1.1
5 km South of Buscemi
18 km South-East · 25 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 01:56
1.5
8 km West of Chiaramonte Gulfi
26 km South-West · 21 km
2 months ago
14 Jun, 23:58
1.3
5 km West of Modica
29 km South · 23 km
2 months ago
12 Jun, 00:50

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Vizzini is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 33% of the 58 towns in the province.
Vizzini17
Nearby towns average28

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: 087054

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Vizzini?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Vizzini area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 days ago.

Is Vizzini a seismic area?

Vizzini 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 Vizzini?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Vizzini was magnitude 4.2, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Vizzini?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Vizzini was 6 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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