Earthquakes in Altofonte
Costa Siciliana centro-settentrionale (Palermo)
Seismic activity in the surroundings
30 km radiusINGV catalogue epicentres of the last ~12 years, within the given radius from the town centre.
How seismic is this area?
A zone where strong earthquakes are possible: new buildings follow strict anti-seismic criteria.
Official Civil Protection classification (upd. 2025), used for building codes.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.184 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Altofonte plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Altofonte
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Altofonte over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2005III21 November 2005
Light: felt by few people, like a passing truck.
Sicilia centrale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 85 km away
- 2004NF5 May 2004
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Isole Eolie earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 141 km away
- 2002V-VI6 September 2002
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 49 km away
- 1999NF30 December 1999
Imperceptible: only instruments record it.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 123 km away
- 1968VI15 January 1968
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Valle del Belice earthquake (M6.4), epicentre 43 km away
- 1954II20 November 1954
Very light: felt only by a few people at rest, on upper floors.
Sicilia centro-occidentale earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 23 km away
- 1940VI-VII15 January 1940
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M5.3), epicentre 11 km away
- 1823VII5 March 1823
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Sicilia settentrionale earthquake (M5.8), epicentre 92 km away
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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town lies about 27 km from Southern Tyrrhenian S, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.
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
Earthquake map
60 eventsEarthquakes in the area
Nearby towns
How does it compare with the surroundings?
Altofonte is among the quietest towns of its province: very few epicentres are recorded here.
Each quake is attributed to the town closest to its epicentre: the numbers describe the area, not the municipal territory alone.
Context
Province of Palermo13 events · 30gSicily region126 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Altofonte?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Altofonte area: the latest nearby dates back to 3 months ago.
Is Altofonte a seismic area?
Altofonte 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 Altofonte?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Altofonte was magnitude 2.7, in 2026.
When was the last quake near Altofonte?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Altofonte was 4 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)