Province of Messina

Earthquakes in Saponara

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]

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

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
Today
days since the last quake nearby
2,848
quakes recorded since 2014
~1 days
on average, one quake every
3.9
The strongest within 30 km
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
81 months ago · 3 Jan, 12:10

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.

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 = 0.223 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
1
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
375
In the area
last 12 months
M3.9
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Saponara plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 4 months ago · 4,078 inhabitants

The seismic history of Saponara

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

  1. 2006V27 February 2006

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

    Monti Peloritani earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 22 km away

  2. 1995IV-V27 August 1995

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M4.1), epicentre 27 km away

  3. 1990IV-V13 December 1990

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 98 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 38 km away · observed at San Pietro

  5. 1978VI15 April 1978

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

    Golfo di Patti earthquake (M6.0), epicentre 38 km away

  6. 1975VI16 January 1975

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

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M5.2), epicentre 19 km away

  7. 1910III13 June 1910

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

    Calabria meridionale earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 36 km away

  8. 1908VIII-IX28 December 1908

    Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

    Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 22 km away

  9. 1905VI-VII8 September 1905

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

    Calabria centrale earthquake (M7.0), epicentre 84 km away

  10. 1898V17 September 1898

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

    Monforte San Giorgio earthquake (M4.0), epicentre 4 km away

  11. 1898VI-VII12 August 1898

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

    Sicilia nord-orientale earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 5 km away

  12. 1894VII16 November 1894

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

    Calabria meridionale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 39 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.

19087.1
Stretto di Messina earthquake
28 December 1908 · 22 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17837.1
Calabria meridionale earthquake
5 February 1783 · 48 km from here
XICatastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
17866.1
Golfo di Patti earthquake
10 March 1786 · 38 km from here
IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
18946.1
Calabria meridionale earthquake
16 November 1894 · 39 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

Aspromonte-Peloritani

The town lies about 10 km from Aspromonte-Peloritani, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.3between 2 and 13 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 202610eventsmax 2.1
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]
34 km North-West · 121 km
8 hours ago
24 Aug, 23:55
1.8
yesterday
24 Aug, 03:30
1.5
16 km West of Milazzo
34 km West · 9 km
2 days ago
22 Aug, 22:53
0.9
3 days ago
22 Aug, 05:45
2.1
23 km North of Milazzo
31 km North-West · 129 km
4 days ago
21 Aug, 07:13
2.1
17 km North of Milazzo
29 km North-West · 116 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 15:35
1.8
21 km North of Milazzo
32 km North-West · 125 km
9 days ago
16 Aug, 01:37
1.4
9 km West of Milazzo
27 km West · 9 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 00:23
1.7
9 km West of Milazzo
27 km West · 10 km
17 days ago
8 Aug, 00:15
1.6
9 km West of Milazzo
27 km West · 11 km
18 days ago
7 Aug, 11:39

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Saponara is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.

quietermore active
More epicentres than 8% of the 108 towns in the province.
Saponara1
Nearby towns average163

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: 083092

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Saponara?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Saponara area: the latest nearby dates back to 8 hours ago.

Is Saponara a seismic area?

Saponara 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 Saponara?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Saponara was magnitude 3.9, in 2020.

When was the last quake near Saponara?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Saponara 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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