February 20, 1818 Earthquake: Acireale, Catania, Calabria, Italy
An earthquake struck Acireale, Catania, Calabria, Italy on February 20, 1818 at 18:10 UTC. It killed 72 people.
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
- February 20, 1818
- Time
- 18:10 UTC
- Place
- Acireale, Catania, Calabria, Italy
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.600° N, 15.000° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 72
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
February 20, 1818, 18:10 UTC, Acireale, 37 deg 36 min N, 15 deg 03 min E, intensity X. (reference #1075)
February 20, 1818, 18:10 UTC, 37.6 N, 15.0 E, intensity IX-X. A disastrous shock at Catania and in Calabria; at Catania great masses of stone were thrown from the tops of buildings, at many other places Mascalucia, Nicolosia,
Trecastagni, Viagrande, Aci Catena, S. Gregorio, S. Giacomo, S. Lucia buildings were thrown down and 72 persons were killed, some statues moved a little. (reference #1099)
February 20-28, 1818, volcanic earthquake. Aci Platani collapse of almost all the houses. Other seriously affected localities included Zafferana (33 dead), Aci-Catena, Nicolosi, Trecastagni. Catane was partially ruined. 72 total deaths [deaths probably associated with earthquake on February 20, 1818], 7,140,000 lires damage, intensity X1/2. (reference #1093)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 28, 1908, Messina, Sicily, Calabria, Italy
- January 9, 1693, Sicily, Calabria, Catania, Italy
- January 11, 1693, Sicily, Calabria, Italy
- February 5, 1783, Tyrrhenian Calabria, Italy
- February 4, 1169, Siracusa (Syracuse), Calabria, Sicily, Italy
- 1137, Catania, Sicily, Italy
- August 6, 1757, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy
- March 27, 1638, Cosenza,martirano, Nicastro, Calabria, Italy
- November 5, 1659, Panaija, Soriano, Polia, Italy
- February 6, 1783, Messina Straits, Italy
- 1086, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy
- January 21, 1065, Catania,messina,milazzo,pale, Sicily, Italy
- September 8, 1905, Monteleone, Tropea, Monte Poro, Italy
- June 19, 1640, Badolato, Italy
- September 1, 1726, Palermo, Marsala, Mazzara, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1818The 1800sRecent 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1626.