Province of Messina

Earthquakes in Piraino

0.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

1 km North-East of San Piero Patti

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

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
3,736
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 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 = 0.188 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
103
In the town
total on record
18
In the town
last 12 months
188
In the area
last 12 months
M3.7
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Piraino plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 29 days ago · 3,964 inhabitants

The seismic history of Piraino

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

  1. 2014IV14 January 2014

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 27 km away

  2. 2014IV14 January 2014

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

    Isole Eolie earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 27 km away · observed at Gliaca

  3. 2013IV15 August 2013

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

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

  4. 2011IV23 June 2011

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

    Monti Nebrodi earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 13 km away

  5. 2009IV19 December 2009

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

    Etna - Maletto earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 39 km away

  6. 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 15 km away

  7. 1990V28 March 1990

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 11 km away

  8. 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 32 km away · observed at Contrada Lacco

  9. 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 32 km away

  10. 1907V23 October 1907

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

    Aspromonte earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 98 km away

  11. 1905V8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 123 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 113 km away

…and 8 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 · 14 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
19786.0
Golfo di Patti earthquake
15 April 1978 · 32 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
18235.8
Sicilia settentrionale earthquake
5 March 1823 · 46 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
16135.6
Monti Nebrodi earthquake
25 August 1613 · 8 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 17 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 202616eventsmax 3.7
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

0.7
1 km North-East of San Piero Patti
15 km South-East · 10 km
7 hours ago
25 Aug, 00:32
1.0
1 km North-East of San Piero Patti
14 km South-East · 17 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 18:36
1.4
3 km North-West of Basicò
17 km East · 14 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 13:19
0.7
12 km North-East of Patti
19 km East · 11 km
3 days ago
22 Aug, 03:11
0.9
5 km North of Raccuja
11 km South-East · 14 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 14:19
1.2
4 km West of Basicò
18 km South-East · 11 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 14:08
0.6
4 days ago
20 Aug, 21:28
1.3
16 km North of Capo d'Orlando
20 km North-West · 8 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 10:16
1.1
0 km West of Oliveri
15 km East · 11 km
7 days ago
18 Aug, 16:48
1.0
8 km North-East of Oliveri
18 km East · 1 km
7 days ago
18 Aug, 12:58

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Piraino 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 82% of the 108 towns in the province.
Piraino103
Nearby towns average109

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: 083068

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Piraino?

Yes: today the Piraino area (town and surroundings) recorded 1 quakes; the most recent 7 hours ago.

Is Piraino a seismic area?

Piraino 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 Piraino?

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

When was the last quake near Piraino?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Piraino was 7 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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