Earthquakes in Marsala
Tirreno Meridionale [Mare]
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 = 0.051 g (10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, rigid soil).
Why the ground rarely shakes here
Marsala 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 Marsala plus nearby towns.
The seismic history of Marsala
The earthquakes that were actually felt in Marsala 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 120 km away
- 1995IV29 May 1995
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Isole Egadi earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 42 km away · observed at Birgi Novo
- 1995IV29 May 1995
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Isole Egadi earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 42 km away
- 1995IV29 May 1995
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Isole Egadi earthquake (M4.8), epicentre 42 km away · observed at Bufalata
- 1981V7 June 1981
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Mazara del Vallo earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 21 km away
- 1979IV20 January 1979
Moderate: felt by many indoors; glasses and dishes rattle.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M4.9), epicentre 97 km away
- 1968V12 February 1968
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Valle del Belice earthquake (M4.7), epicentre 44 km away
- 1968VI25 January 1968
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Valle del Belice earthquake (M5.4), epicentre 54 km away
- 1968VII15 January 1968
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Valle del Belice earthquake (M6.4), epicentre 46 km away
- 1828VII18 May 1828
Very strong: hard to stand; chimneys and roof tiles fall, serious damage to weaker buildings.
Sicilia occidentale earthquake (M5.1), epicentre 8 km away
- 1726V1 September 1726
Rather strong: felt by almost everyone; hanging objects swing.
Tirreno meridionale earthquake (M5.5), epicentre 83 km away
- 1693V-VI11 January 1693
Strong: felt by everyone, many get scared; objects fall, first light damage to buildings.
Sicilia sud-orientale earthquake (M7.3), epicentre 238 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 lies about 21 km from Mazara-Belice, 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?
Marsala 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 Trapani1 events · 30gSicily region126 events · 30gFrequently asked questions
Were there earthquakes today in Marsala?
No, no quakes were recorded today in the Marsala area: the latest nearby dates back to 11 days ago.
Is Marsala a seismic area?
Marsala 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 Marsala?
In the last ~12 years of INGV data, the strongest within 30 km of Marsala was magnitude 3.2, in 2020.
When was the last quake near Marsala?
The last quake recorded within 30 km of Marsala was 2 months ago.
Tip. Click a nearby town to explore its seismicity.
Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)