Earthquakes in Giarratana
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?
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.
Hazard describes the long-term expected shaking: it is not a forecast. Technical value: ag = 0.268 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
The “area” is Giarratana plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Giarratana
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Giarratana over the centuries, with the intensity observed on site (Mercalli MCS scale).
- 2016V-VI8 February 2016
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 12 km away
- 1990VI13 December 1990
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 61 km away
- 1980V-VI23 January 1980
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 19 km away
- 1937IV-V6 March 1937
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 16 km away
- 1934V11 September 1934
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Sicilia centro-settentrionale earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 45 km away
- 1924V17 August 1924
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 9 km away
- 1908VI28 December 1908
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Stretto di Messina earthquake (M7.1), epicentre 142 km away
- 1897V11 February 1897
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Ionio meridionale earthquake (M5.0), epicentre 134 km away
- 1895IV-V13 April 1895
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monti Iblei ? earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 10 km away
- 1892V22 January 1892
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 13 km away
- 1693X-XI11 January 1693
Catastrophic: very few buildings remain standing; landslides and ground cracks.
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Giarratana [vecchia]
- 1542VIII-IX10 December 1542
Destructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 20 km away · observed at Giarratana [vecchia]
…and 17 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?
Giarratana 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 Ragusa3 events · 30gSicily region127 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Giarratana?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Giarratana area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 days ago.
Is Giarratana a seismic area?
Giarratana 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 Giarratana?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Giarratana was magnitude 4.2, in 2016.
When was the last quake near Giarratana?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Giarratana was 6 days ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)