December 10, 1542 Tsunami: Sicily, Italy
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Sicily, Italy on December 10, 1542 at 15:15 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- December 10, 1542, 15:15 UTC
- Source
- Sicily, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 37.215° N, 14.944° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
December 10, 1542. This earthquake, with estimated magnitude Mw = 6.6, hit many localities in south-eastern Sicily causing damage in an area of about 6000 km2. Several localities were destroyed and the shock was felt in whole the island. As reported by Lacisio (1543, reference #9207), after the earthquake the sea flooded the town of Augusta. (reference #9169)
Reference #11164 (v. 2) lists as questionable tsunami. According to Guidoboni et al. (2018, ref# 10990), quoting Lacisio (1858) and Anonymous (1542), the city of Augusta was almost submerged by the sea and many people were drowned.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | Italy | 24 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1542The 1500sTsunamis of ItalyThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 5404.