Province of Messina

Earthquakes in Novara di Sicilia

0.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km North-East of San Piero Patti

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

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
4,235
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
4.1
The strongest within 30 km
5 km North-West of Sant'Alfio
93 months ago · 9 Jan, 00:50

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 = 0.203 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
101
In the town
total on record
5
In the town
last 12 months
266
In the area
last 12 months
M3.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Novara di Sicilia plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 26 days ago · 1,413 inhabitants

The seismic history of Novara di Sicilia

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

  1. 2010V16 August 2010

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 41 km away

  2. 1999V-VI14 February 1999

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 24 km away

  3. 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 40 km away

  4. 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 40 km away · observed at San Marco

  5. 1908VII-VIII28 December 1908

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 50 km away

  6. 1908VII10 December 1908

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

    Monti Peloritani earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 9 km away

  7. 1906V22 March 1906

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

    Novara di Sicilia earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 2 km away

  8. 1905V8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 115 km away

  9. 1894VI20 February 1894

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

    Monti Peloritani ? earthquake (M4.3), epicentre 13 km away

  10. 1893VI-VII22 April 1893

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

    Monti Nebrodi earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 10 km away

  11. 1818VII20 February 1818

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

    Catanese earthquake (M6.3), epicentre 48 km away

  12. 1693VII11 January 1693

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 100 km away

…and 27 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 · 48 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
17866.1
Golfo di Patti earthquake
10 March 1786 · 13 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19786.0
Golfo di Patti earthquake
15 April 1978 · 40 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
17495.8
Messina earthquake
August 1749 · 41 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

Patti-Giardini

The town lies about 2 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 202619eventsmax 3.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.7
8 hours ago
25 Aug, 00:32
1.0
9 hours ago
24 Aug, 23:00
1.0
3 days ago
22 Aug, 18:36
1.4
3 km North-West of Basicò
10 km North-West · 14 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 13:19
0.8
3 days ago
22 Aug, 05:13
0.7
12 km North-East of Patti
22 km North · 11 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 03:11
1.2
4 km West of Basicò
10 km West · 11 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 14:08
1.8
4 km South of Montalbano Elicona
11 km South-West · 26 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 19:29
1.8
4 km South of Montalbano Elicona
11 km South-West · 26 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 19:29
1.1
0 km West of Oliveri
13 km North-West · 11 km
7 days ago
18 Aug, 16:48

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Novara di Sicilia 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 108 towns in the province.
Novara di Sicilia101
Nearby towns average175

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 region126 events · 30g
ISTAT code: 083062

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Novara di Sicilia?

Yes: today the Novara di Sicilia area (town and surroundings) recorded 1 quakes; the most recent 8 hours ago.

Is Novara di Sicilia a seismic area?

Novara di Sicilia 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 Novara di Sicilia?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Novara di Sicilia was magnitude 4.1, in 2019.

When was the last quake near Novara di Sicilia?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Novara di Sicilia was 8 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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