Significant earthquakes of 1870

October 4, 1870 Earthquake: Cosenza, Italy

October 4, 1870 · 136 deaths

An earthquake struck Cosenza, Italy on October 4, 1870 at 16:55 UTC. It killed 136 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
October 4, 1870
Time
16:55 UTC
Place
Cosenza, Italy
Intensity
10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
39.200° N, 16.300° E
Country
Italy

The toll

Deaths
136
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1870The 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 2174.