January 25, 1968 Earthquake: Sicily, Italy
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Sicily, Italy on January 25, 1968 at 09:56:48 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 8 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
- January 25, 1968
- Time
- 09:56:48 UTC
- Place
- Sicily, Italy
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.800° N, 13.200° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 55
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
January 25, 1968, 09:56:48.7 UTC, 37.8 N, 13.2 E, depth 33 km, magnitude 5.1. A moderate aftershock of the January 15 earthquake killed eight persons, injured 55, and caused additional property damage. (reference #45)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 9, 1693, Sicily, Calabria, Catania, Italy
- January 11, 1693, Sicily, Calabria, Italy
- February 4, 1169, Siracusa (Syracuse), Calabria, Sicily, Italy
- 1137, Catania, Sicily, Italy
- August 6, 1757, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy
- January 21, 1065, Catania,messina,milazzo,pale, Sicily, Italy
- September 1, 1726, Palermo, Marsala, Mazzara, Italy
- January 15, 1968, Sicily, Italy
- May 8, 1914, Catania, Etna, Italy
- August 25, 1613, Naso, Italy
- September 8, 1818, Madonie, Italy
- February 20, 1818, Acireale, Catania, Calabria, Italy
- July 19, 1865, Etna, Italy
- March 24, 1961, Sicily, Italy
- July 17, 1879, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1968The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1968Recent 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 8852.