Significant earthquakes of 1930

October 30, 1930 Earthquake: Senigallia, Italy

October 30, 1930 · M6 · 18 deaths

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Senigallia, Italy on October 30, 1930 at 07:13:10 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 18 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 30, 1930
Time
07:13:10 UTC
Place
Senigallia, Italy
Magnitude
6 (Mw)
Focal depth
15 km (9 mi)
Intensity
9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
43.890° N, 13.483° E
Country
Italy

The toll

Deaths
18
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.

Oct 30, 1930, at 07:13:10 UTC, 43.75 N, 13.5 E, magnitude 6. (reference #130)

October 30, 1930. The province of Ancona and Pesaro was hit from a strong jolt, that manifested particularly in Senigallia, where it caught up grade the IX. The majority of the rooms in the city were rendered inhabitable. 14 died in Senigallia and 4 in Ancona. (reference #1063)

Oct 30, 1930, at 07:13:10.1 UTC, 43.89 N, 13.483 E, magnitude 5.98 Mw. (reference #10476, version 9)

On 30 October 1930, a strong earthquake (I = VIII–IX, M = 5.9), called the ‘Senigallia earthquake’, struck the coastal area around Ancona (Boschi et al. 1995), with maximum effects at Senigallia. It was accompanied by a strong tsunami in the harbour of Ancona (Boschi et al. 1995): Suddenly, high tide impinged on the coast, and the sea boiled. (reference #9531)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1930The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1930Recent 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 3426.