1908 Messina earthquake
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| Date | 28 December 1908 |
|---|---|
| Origin time | 5:20 am |
| Duration | 30-40 sec |
| Magnitude | 7.1 Mw |
| Depth | 5-6 ml (8-10 km) |
| Epicenter | 38°09′N 15°41′E / 38.15°N 15.68°ECoordinates: 38°09′N 15°41′E / 38.15°N 15.68°E |
| Fault | Unknown, possibly blind normal fault underlying Strait of Messina |
| Type | Dip-slip |
| Areas affected | Sicily & Calabria, Kingdom of Italy |
| Total damage | Tsunami waves, fires, landslides; building, infrastructure, and coastline damage ; cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria almost destroyed |
| Max. intensity | XI (Extreme) |
| Tsunami | Up to 12 m (39 ft) |
| Landslides | yes |
| Aftershocks | 293 |
| Casualties | 75,000–200,000 |
The 1908 Messina earthquake (also known as the 1908 Messina and Reggio earthquake) occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 200,000 lives were lost.
On Monday 28 December 1908, from about 05:20 to 05:21, an earthquake of 7.1 on the moment magnitude scale occurred. Its epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates the busy port city of Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. Its precise epicentre has been pinpointed to the northern Ionian Sea area close to the narrowest section of the Strait, the location of Messina. It had a depth of 5–6 miles (8–10 km).
The earthquake almost levelled Messina. At least 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed or irreparably damaged and some 75,000 people were killed in the city and suburbs. Reggio Calabria and other locations in Calabria also suffered heavy damage, with some 25.000 people killed. Reggio's historic centre was almost completely eradicated.The number of casualties is based on the 1901 and 1911 census data. It was the most destructive earthquake to ever strike Europe. The ground shook for some 30 to 40 seconds, and the damage was widespread, with destruction felt within a 300-kilometer (186-mile) radius. In Calabria, the ground shook violently from Scilla to south of Reggio, provoking landslides inland in the Reggio area and along the sea-cliff from Scilla to Bagnara. In the Calabrian commune of Palmi on the Tyrrhenian coast, there was almost total devastation that left 600 dead. Damage was also inflicted along the eastern Sicilian coast, but outside of Messina, it was not as badly hit as Calabria. The mesoseismal area was confined near the coast along a 1–4 km wide belt that shook and destroyed Messina and surrounding villages. Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily, did not incur notable damage.
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