Province of Ragusa

Earthquakes in Scicli

1.7
very light
LATEST QUAKE

9 km South of Palazzolo Acreide

6 days ago · 19 Aug, 08:04
Depth 16 km

Seismic activity in the surroundings

30 km radius
20
days since the last quake nearby
219
quakes recorded since 2014
~19 days
on average, one quake every
4.2
The strongest within 30 km
11 km North of Rosolini
128 months ago · 8 Feb, 16:35

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.

Low
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 = 0.129 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).

Closest earthquake
Earthquake details
50
In the town
total on record
1
In the town
last 12 months
49
In the area
last 12 months
M4.6
Strongest ever
In the area

The “area” is Scicli plus nearby towns.

Last earthquake: 11 months ago · 25,922 inhabitants

The seismic history of Scicli

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

  1. 2016IV-V8 February 2016

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 28 km away

  2. 1990VI13 December 1990

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

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M5.6), epicentre 89 km away

  3. 1990IV-V29 October 1990

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

    Stretto di Sicilia earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 58 km away

  4. 1980V23 January 1980

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 19 km away · observed at Donnalucata

  5. 1980V23 January 1980

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

    Monti Iblei earthquake (M4.4), epicentre 19 km away

  6. 1959V-VI23 December 1959

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

    Piana di Catania earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 69 km away

  7. 1898V-VI3 November 1898

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

    Calatino earthquake (M4.5), epicentre 58 km away

  8. 1897V-VI28 May 1897

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

    Ionio earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 338 km away

  9. 1895V13 April 1895

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

    Monti Iblei ? earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 36 km away

  10. 1693X11 January 1693

    Completely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 51 km away

  11. 1693VIII9 January 1693

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M6.1), epicentre 52 km away

  12. 1542VIII10 December 1542

    Ruinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.

    Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M6.7), epicentre 55 km away

…and 21 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.

19495.1
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake
8 October 1949 · 18 km from here
VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
17174.9
Ragusano earthquake
4 April 1717 · 26 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
18954.8
Monti Iblei ? earthquake
13 April 1895 · 36 km from here
VI-VIIVery strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
19244.7
Monti Iblei earthquake
17 August 1924 · 45 km from here
V-VIStrong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Scicli-Giarratana

The town sits above this source area: the deep structure where this area's earthquakes can originate.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.0between 1 and 23 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 20263eventsmax 1.9
Oct
Jan '25
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan '26
Apr
Jul

Earthquake map

60 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

Earthquakes in the area

1.7
9 km South of Palazzolo Acreide
35 km North-East · 16 km
6 days ago
19 Aug, 08:04
1.9
6 km East of Ragusa
19 km North · 27 km
21 days ago
4 Aug, 12:31
1.6
6 km East of Ragusa
18 km North · 25 km
21 days ago
4 Aug, 12:28
1.5
2 km East of Chiaramonte Gulfi
33 km North · 18 km
27 days ago
29 Jul, 11:09
1.3
2 km South-East of Mazzarrone
36 km North · 23 km
1 month ago
23 Jul, 21:45
1.3
2 months ago
10 Jul, 10:32
1.1
5 km South of Buscemi
36 km North-East · 25 km
2 months ago
18 Jun, 01:56
1.5
8 km West of Chiaramonte Gulfi
35 km North-West · 21 km
2 months ago
14 Jun, 23:58
1.3
5 km West of Modica
20 km North-East · 23 km
2 months ago
12 Jun, 00:50
1.5
8 km South-West of Palazzolo Acreide
35 km North-East · 22 km
4 months ago
7 May, 01:03

Nearby towns

How does it compare with the surroundings?

Scicli 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 91% of the 12 towns in the province.
Scicli50
Nearby towns average41

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 · 30g
ISTAT code: 088011

Frequently asked questions

Were there earthquakes today in Scicli?

No, no quakes were recorded today in the Scicli area: the latest nearby dates back to 6 days ago.

Is Scicli a seismic area?

Scicli 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 Scicli?

In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Scicli was magnitude 4.2, in 2016.

When was the last quake near Scicli?

The last quake recorded within 30 km of Scicli was 21 days 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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