September 8, 1905 Earthquake: Monteleone, Tropea, Monte Poro, Italy
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Monteleone, Tropea, Monte Poro, Italy on September 8, 1905 at 01:43:11 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 557 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
- September 8, 1905
- Time
- 01:43:11 UTC
- Place
- Monteleone, Tropea, Monte Poro, Italy
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 11 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.670° N, 16.070° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 557
- Injuries
- 2,000
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- 6,700
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.
1905, September 8 01:43:11 UTC. 38.56 N, 16.07 E, magnitude 7.1. This is one of the strongest events occurred in southern Italy. Destructions in many localities, more
than 550 victims and 2,000 injured people. Shock felt in the whole southern Italy, including Sicily. (reference #11164)
1905, September 8. In the districts of Monteleone and Tropea, at the foot of the Monte Poro: 331 distressed communes, 82 localities completely or partially destroyed, 6700 houses totally or partially reversed, 557 dead. Intensity XI. (reference #1093)
1905, September 8. Italy, Calabria. Magnitude 7.9. 2500 deaths. (reference #1003)
1905, September 8 01:43 UTC. 38.8 N, 16.1 E, magnitude 7.3, intensity XI. (reference #1004)
1905, September 8 01:43:02.24 UTC. 38.636 N, 15.784 E, depth 15 km, 7.16 Mw. (reference #9910)
1905, September 8 01:43:0.00 UTC. 39 N, 16 E, 6.8 Ms AN2, 7.9 UK B&D. (reference #10476)
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
- September 16, 1857, Calabria,montemurro, Italy
- December 16, 1857, Campania, Potenza, Italy
- March 27, 1638, Cosenza,martirano, Nicastro, Calabria, Italy
- July 17, 1361, Basilicata to Pouilles, Italy
- November 5, 1659, Panaija, Soriano, Polia, Italy
- January 1688, Pisticci, Italy
- February 6, 1783, Messina Straits, Italy
- 1086, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy
- January 21, 1065, Catania,messina,milazzo,pale, Sicily, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1905The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1905Recent 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 2732.