Province of Messina

Earthquakes in Malfa

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]

9 hours ago · 24 Aug, 23:55
Depth 121 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
795
quakes recorded since 2014
~5 days
on average, one quake every
4.5
The strongest within 30 km
21 km South of Santa Marina Salina
45 months ago · 4 Dec, 08:12

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 = 0.163 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Go to Leni Earthquake details
61
In the town
total on record
7
In the town
last 12 months
676
In the area
last 12 months
M4.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Malfa plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 3 months ago · 988 inhabitants

The seismic history of Malfa

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

  1. 1995IV23 July 1995

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 17 km away · observed at Pollara

  2. 1995IV23 July 1995

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 17 km away

  3. 1978VI15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 30 km away

  4. 1978VI15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 30 km away · observed at Pollara

  5. 1963VI-VII13 June 1963

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Pollara

  6. 1963VI13 June 1963

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 1 km away

  7. 1939VII27 January 1939

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 8 km away

  8. 1926VII-VIII17 August 1926

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 1 km away · observed at Pollara

  9. 1908V28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 88 km away

  10. 1904V16 July 1904

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

    Salina earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Pollara

  11. 1894F3 August 1894

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

    Salina earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 3 km away · observed at Pollara

  12. 1894F3 August 1894

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

    Salina earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 3 km away

…and 2 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.

19786.0
Golfo di Patti earthquake
15 April 1978 · 30 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
20045.4
Isole Eolie earthquake
5 May 2004 · 5 km from here
IVModerate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
19415.3
Isola di Stromboli earthquake
22 May 1941 · 43 km from here
VII-VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
19265.3
Isole Eolie earthquake
17 August 1926 · 1 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

Milazzo-Eolie

The town lies about 12 km from Milazzo-Eolie, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 6.9between 1 and 25 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 202634eventsmax 3.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
42 km East · 121 km
9 hours ago
24 Aug, 23:55
2.1
18 km South-East of Lipari
24 km South-East · 142 km
10 hours ago
24 Aug, 23:27
1.8
22 km East of Lipari
36 km East · 10 km
2 days ago
23 Aug, 09:13
1.5
16 km West of Milazzo
40 km South-East · 9 km
2 days ago
22 Aug, 22:53
2.2
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
62 km West · 9 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 06:07
2.4
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
61 km West · 24 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 05:53
0.7
12 km North-East of Patti
44 km South-East · 11 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 03:11
1.9
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
62 km West · 9 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 00:53
1.4
21 km West of Leni
23 km West · 6 km
3 days ago
21 Aug, 22:28
3.1
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
61 km West · 22 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 18:24

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Malfa records more quakes than the average of its province.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 74% of the 108 towns in the province.
Malfa61
Nearby towns average301

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: 083043

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Malfa?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Malfa area: the latest nearby dates back to 9 hours ago.

Is Malfa a seismic area?

Malfa 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 Malfa?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Malfa was magnitude 4.5, in 2022.

When was the last quake near Malfa?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Malfa was 10 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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