September 11, 1976 Earthquake: Northeastern, Italy
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Northeastern, Italy on September 11, 1976 at 16:31:12 UTC, 16 km below the surface. It killed 5 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 11, 1976
- Time
- 16:31:12 UTC
- Place
- Northeastern, Italy
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 16 km (10 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 46.280° N, 13.157° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1976, May 11, 16:31:12.0 UTC. 46.280 N, 13.157 E, magnitude 5.2 mb. 5.5 MS, depth 16 km, Austria. At least 5 killed, some injured, considerable damage and landslides in northeastern Italy. Also felt in other areas of Central Europe. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 25, 1348, Celovac, Veneto, Slovenia, Villach, Italy, Austria
- August 8, 1511, Cividale del Fruili, Italy
- May 6, 1976, NW, Slovenia, NE, Balkans NW, Italy
- November 17, 1570, Ferrara,bologna,padova,venizia,treviso, Italy
- June 29, 1873, Bellunese, Italy
- 778, Treviso, Italy
- December 4, 1690, Carinthie, Austria
- March 26, 1511, Idrija,skofja Loka, Slovenia, Balkans NW
- September 15, 1976, Northeastern, Italy
- April 14, 1895, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Balkans NW
- July 12, 2004, Bovec, Kobarid, Slovenia
- April 12, 1998, Bovec, Kobarid, Arnoldstein, Slovenia, Austria
- May 9, 1861, Citta Della Pieve, Italy
- September 15, 1976, Italy-Balkans NW
- March 27, 1928, Tolmezzo, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 1976The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1976Recent 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 4742.