March 4, 1881 Earthquake: Ischia Island, Italy
An earthquake struck Ischia Island, Italy on March 4, 1881. It killed 121 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
- March 4, 1881
- Place
- Ischia Island, Italy
- Intensity
- IX, violent shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.700° N, 13.900° E
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Southern Europe
The toll
- Deaths
- 121
- Damage
- $200,000
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.
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #1099 Karnik, V. (1971). Seismicity of the European Area, Part 2, D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland. 218 p.
- #1073 U.S. Congress (1888). Great Earthquakes, vol. 1, Washington, D.C. vol. 1, March 1888.
- #1093 Montandon, Frederic (1953). Les Tremblements de Terre Destructeurs en Europe, a L'Union Internationale de Secours, Geneva, Switzerland, 195 p.
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 1881The 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 2292.