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1908 Messina earthquake

A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 82,000 people died, making it the deadliest earthquake in the history of Europe.

UTC time

1908-12-28 04:20:27

16958009

ComCat

28 December 1908 (1908-12-28)

5:20:27

37 seconds

7.1 Mw[1]

5–6 mi (8–10 km)

38°09′N 15°41′E / 38.15°N 15.68°E / 38.15; 15.68 Strait of Messina

Possibly blind normal fault underlying Strait of Messina; or according to findings in 2019, the Messina -Taormina Fault which runs offshore of Sicily the entire length of the Strait[2]

Dip-slip

Sicily & Calabria, Kingdom of Italy

Tsunami waves, fires, landslides;
Messina and Reggio Calabria almost destroyed

MMI XI (Extreme)[3]

Up to 12 m (39 ft)

Yes

293

75,000–82,000[3]

Bersaglieri digging in the ruins after the earthquake in Messina, December 1908

Bersaglieri digging in the ruins after the earthquake in Messina, December 1908

Via Garibaldi with the heavily damaged Chiesa delle Anime del Purgatorio in the background

Via Garibaldi with the heavily damaged Chiesa delle Anime del Purgatorio in the background

Homeless survivors of the earthquake of Messina, in 1908, under a tent

Homeless survivors of the earthquake of Messina, in 1908, under a tent

Two photo reporters among the ruins in Via Prima Settembre after the earthquake in Messina, December 1908

Two photo reporters among the ruins in Via Prima Settembre after the earthquake in Messina, December 1908

The destroyed church of San Rocco in Palmi, Calabria

The destroyed church of San Rocco in Palmi, Calabria

The ruins of St.John of Malta church.The Prefecture of Messina was constructed on its site

The ruins of St.John of Malta church.The Prefecture of Messina was constructed on its site

New York residents on Lower East Side line up to donate clothing

New York residents on Lower East Side line up to donate clothing

List of earthquakes in 1908

List of earthquakes in Italy

Mowbray, Jay Henry (1909). . Washington, D. C: G. W. Bertron, Office of the Librarian of Congress.

Italy's Great Horror or Earthquake and Tidal Wave

(PDF). Risk Management Solutions. 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2018.

"The 1908 Messina Earthquake: 100-Year Retrospective"

Argnani, A.; Alessandro Pino, N. (2023). "The 1908 Messina Straits Earthquake: Cornerstones and the Need to Step Forward". Seismological Research Letters. 94 (2A): 557–561. :2023SeiRL..94..557A. doi:10.1785/0220220355. ISSN 0895-0695. S2CID 255648726.

Bibcode

Belknap, Reginald Rowan (1910). . New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

American House Building in Messina and Reggio: An Account of the American Naval and Red Cross Combined Expedition, to Provide Shelter for the Survivors of the Great Earthquake of December 28, 1908

Hichens, Robert (April 1909). . The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. 77 (6): 928–939. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

"After The Earthquake"

(1909). "The Messina Earthquake". Bulletin of the American Geographical Society. 41 (7): 409–422. doi:10.2307/199619. JSTOR 199619. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

Hobbs, W. H.

Perret, Frank A. (April 1909). . The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. 77 (6): 921–927. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

"The Messina Earthquake"

Perret, Frank A. (1909). . The American Journal of Science. XXVII (Fourth Series): 321–334. Bibcode:1909AmJS...27..321P. doi:10.2475/ajs.s4-27.160.321. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

"Preliminary Report On The Messina Earthquake Of December 28, 1908"

. Scientific American Supplement (1726): 71–74. 30 January 1909. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

"The Italian Earthquake"

The has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.

International Seismological Centre

Guidoboni E., Ferrari G., Mariotti D., Comastri A., Tarabusi G., Sgattoni G., Valensise G. (2018), Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)

The page for this event in Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia (461 a.C.-1997) e nell’area Mediterranea (760 a.C.-1500) (Catalogue of Strong Earthquakes in Italy (461 BC-1997) and the Mediterranean Area (760 BC–1500))