Province of Messina

Earthquakes in Castell'Umberto

0.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km North-East of San Piero Patti

9 hours ago · 25 Aug, 00:32
Depth 10 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
3,420
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
4.1
The strongest within 30 km
2 km East of Sant'Agata di Militello
7 months ago · 18 Jan, 14:54

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 = 0.185 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
11
In the town
total on record
0
In the town
last 12 months
234
In the area
last 12 months
M3.6
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Castell'Umberto plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 40 months ago · 3,295 inhabitants

The seismic history of Castell'Umberto

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

  1. 2013IV15 August 2013

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

    Monti Peloritani earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 13 km away

  2. 2010V16 August 2010

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 37 km away

  3. 2006IV27 February 2006

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

    Monti Peloritani earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 35 km away

  4. 2001III-IV8 May 2001

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

    Monti Nebrodi earthquake (M3.6), epicentre 13 km away

  5. 1999V14 February 1999

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 25 km away

  6. 1995III23 July 1995

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 58 km away

  7. 1993III1 March 1993

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

    Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 57 km away

  8. 1990III-IV13 December 1990

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 101 km away

  9. 1990IV28 March 1990

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 20 km away

  10. 1978VII15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 42 km away

  11. 1977IV5 June 1977

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

    Monti Nebrodi earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 46 km away

  12. 1908VIII28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 77 km away

…and 4 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.

17866.1
Golfo di Patti earthquake
10 March 1786 · 18 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19786.0
Golfo di Patti earthquake
15 April 1978 · 42 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18235.8
Sicilia settentrionale earthquake
5 March 1823 · 43 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
16135.6
Monti Nebrodi earthquake
25 August 1613 · 6 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

Patti-Giardini

The town lies about 25 km from Patti-Giardini, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.1between 3 and 20 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 20268eventsmax 1.5
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.7
9 hours ago
25 Aug, 00:32
1.0
3 days ago
22 Aug, 18:36
0.9
5 km North of Raccuja
9 km East · 14 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 14:19
0.6
5 days ago
20 Aug, 21:28
1.3
16 km North of Capo d'Orlando
26 km North-West · 8 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 10:16
1.3
2 km North-East of Raccuja
11 km East · 10 km
10 days ago
15 Aug, 07:01
0.8
1 km West of Tortorici
9 km South · 8 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 08:19
1.5
3 km South-East of Floresta
17 km South-East · 11 km
18 days ago
7 Aug, 04:24
1.6
29 days ago
27 Jul, 19:10
0.6
6 km North of Piraino
16 km North · 10 km
29 days ago
27 Jul, 13:25

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Castell'Umberto is quieter than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 34% of the 108 towns in the province.
Castell'Umberto11
Nearby towns average80

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

Context

Province of Messina73 events · 30gSicily region127 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 083014

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Castell'Umberto?

Yes: today the Castell'Umberto area (town and surroundings) recorded 1 quakes; the most recent 9 hours ago.

Is Castell'Umberto a seismic area?

Castell'Umberto 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 Castell'Umberto?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Castell'Umberto was magnitude 4.1, in 2026.

When was the last quake near Castell'Umberto?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Castell'Umberto was 9 hours 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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