September 27, 1538 Earthquake: Pozzuoli, Italy
An earthquake struck Pozzuoli, Italy on September 27, 1538. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 27, 1538
- Place
- Pozzuoli, Italy
- Intensity
- XI, extreme shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 40.600° N, 14.100° E
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Southern Europe
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #1151 Magnaki, D.V. (1688). Historical Information on Earthquakes Having Occurred in the Past Centuries and Present Century, translated by R.M. Davis, Jr. (1945), Antonio Bulifon, Naples, Italy.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 5, 1456, Avellino,napoli,abruzzi, Brindisi,benevento, Italy
- January 13, 1915, Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi, Italy
- December 16, 1857, Campania, Potenza, Italy
- 1248, Sabaudia, Italy
- July 26, 1805, Molise, Rosolone, Napoli (Naples), Isernia, Italy
- July 30, 1627, Lesina, Italy
- November 23, 1980, Avellino, Potenza, Caserta, Naples, Italy
- September 8, 1694, Calitri, Italy
- December 16, 1631, Naples (Napoli), Italy
- July 17, 1361, Basilicata to Pouilles, Italy
- March 20, 1731, Foggia, Italy
- June 5, 1688, Benevento, Italy
- July 28, 1883, Casamicciola, Forino, Lacco Ameno, Ischia Is, Italy
- August 24, 79, Naples (Napoli), Italy
- September 9, 1349, L'Aquila, Abruzzi, Sannio, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1538The 1500sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 709.