Earthquakes in Ustica
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 = 0.039 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Ustica sits in one of the most stable areas of Italy: far from the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, on ancient, rigid crust that hardly accumulates tectonic stress any more.
That is why earthquakes here are rare and almost always weak: a small geological privilege.
The “area” is Ustica plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Ustica
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Ustica over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2002IV-V6 September 2002
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M5.9), epicentre 58 km away
- 1998IV-V21 June 1998
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 54 km away
- 1998IV-V17 January 1998
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Golfo di Castellammare earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 52 km away
- 1974V4 February 1974
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M3.7), epicentre 1 km away
- 1968V-VI15 January 1968
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Valle del Belice earthquake (M6.4), epicentre 107 km away
- 1924VI12 November 1924
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ustica earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 1 km away
- 1917V-VI18 February 1917
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ustica earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 1 km away
- 1910VI17 February 1910
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ustica earthquake (M4.2), epicentre 1 km away
- 1910VI25 January 1910
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 29 km away
- 1906VI19 March 1906
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ustica earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 1 km away
- 1897IV-V15 May 1897
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 34 km away
- 1893V-VI11 May 1893
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Isola di Ustica earthquake (M4.6), epicentre 39 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.
Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).
The closest seismic structure
The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.
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?
Ustica sits in one of the most seismically active areas of its province: quakes are a familiar presence here, almost always light.
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 region127 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Ustica?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Ustica area: the latest nearby dates back to 11 days ago.
Is Ustica a seismic area?
Ustica 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 Ustica?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Ustica was magnitude 3.4, in 2021.
When was the last quake near Ustica?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Ustica was 11 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)