September 6, 2002 Earthquake: Palermo, Sicily, Italy
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Palermo, Sicily, Italy on September 6, 2002 at 01:21:28 UTC, 5 km below the surface. It killed 2 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 6, 2002
- Time
- 01:21:28 UTC
- Place
- Palermo, Sicily, Italy
- Magnitude
- 6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.381° N, 13.701° E
- Country
- Italy
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 20
- Damage
- $500 million
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
Two people died from heart attacks, twenty injured and several
buildings damaged in the Palermo area. Also felt at
Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina and
Trapani. (reference #1053)
$500 million damage. (reference #1250)
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
- August 6, 1757, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy
- February 6, 1783, Messina Straits, 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
- November 16, 1894, Palmi, Santa Cristina, Italy
- September 8, 1818, Madonie, Italy
More
Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent 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 5648.