In the late afternoon of Friday February 7th, 2025, a significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Tirreno Sea 164 kilometer from Palermo, Italy.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Tirreno Sea, 88 kilometers (55 mi) off the coast of Italy, 164 kilometer north-east of Palermo in Sicily. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 67 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 7, 2025 16:19 (Rome Time) - Feb 7, 2025 15:19 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 164 km NE of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Coordinates 38°57'57"N 14°53'20"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 71 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 67 km (42 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Italy . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Milazzo in Sicily, Italy. Milazzo is located 88 kilometer (55 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Naples is located 216 km to the north-northwest. Palermo is located 164 km to the southwest. Messina is located 103 km to the south-east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 88 km (55 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Milazzo Sicily, Italy. |
| 95 km (59 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto Sicily, Italy. |
| 103 km (64 mi) SE from epicenter |
Messina Sicily, Italy. |
| 106 km (66 mi) SE from epicenter |
Gioia Tauro Calabria, Italy. |
| 107 km (66 mi) SE from epicenter |
Palmi Calabria, Italy. |
| 110 km (68 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Vibo Valentia Calabria, Italy. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SE from epicenter |
Reggio Calabria Calabria, Italy. |
| 121 km (75 mi) E from epicenter |
Sambiase Calabria, Italy. |
| 123 km (76 mi) E from epicenter |
Lamezia Terme Calabria, Italy. |
| 123 km (76 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Cosenza Calabria, Italy. |
| 123 km (76 mi) E from epicenter |
Nicastro Calabria, Italy. |
| 124 km (77 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Quattromiglia Calabria, Italy. |
| 131 km (81 mi) S from epicenter |
Bronte Sicily, Italy. |
| 140 km (87 mi) S from epicenter |
Giarre Sicily, Italy. |
| 145 km (90 mi) S from epicenter |
Adrano Sicily, Italy. |
| 147 km (91 mi) S from epicenter |
Biancavilla Sicily, Italy. |
| 147 km (91 mi) NE from epicenter |
Castrovillari Calabria, Italy. |
| 148 km (92 mi) E from epicenter |
Catanzaro Calabria, Italy. |
| 151 km (94 mi) SW from epicenter |
Termini Imerese Sicily, Italy. |
| 153 km (95 mi) S from epicenter |
Acireale Sicily, Italy. |
| 153 km (95 mi) S from epicenter |
Aci Catena Sicily, Italy. |
| 155 km (96 mi) S from epicenter |
Mascalucia Sicily, Italy. |
| 155 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bagheria Sicily, Italy. |
| 155 km (96 mi) S from epicenter |
San Giovanni la Punta Sicily, Italy. |
| 156 km (97 mi) S from epicenter |
Paternò Sicily, Italy. |
| 157 km (98 mi) S from epicenter |
Gravina di Catania Sicily, Italy. |
| 161 km (100 mi) S from epicenter |
Misterbianco Sicily, Italy. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SW from epicenter |
Palermo Sicily, Italy. |
| 165 km (103 mi) S from epicenter |
Catania Sicily, Italy. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Enna Sicily, Italy. |
| 166 km (103 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Rossano Stazione Calabria, Italy. |
| 175 km (109 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Carini Sicily, Italy. |
| 179 km (111 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Caltanissetta Sicily, Italy. |
| 183 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Battipaglia Campania, Italy. |
| 184 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Eboli Campania, Italy. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SW from epicenter |
Partinico Sicily, Italy. |
| 190 km (118 mi) N from epicenter |
Salerno Campania, Italy. |
| 193 km (120 mi) N from epicenter |
Cava Dè Tirreni Campania, Italy. |
| 194 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Augusta Sicily, Italy. |
| 194 km (121 mi) E from epicenter |
Crotone Calabria, Italy. |
| 195 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Caltagirone Sicily, Italy. |
| 196 km (122 mi) N from epicenter |
Castellammare di Stabia Campania, Italy. |
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Nocera Inferiore Campania, Italy. |
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Pagani Campania, Italy. |
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Angri Campania, Italy. |
| 200 km (124 mi) SW from epicenter |
Alcamo Sicily, Italy. |
| 202 km (126 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Potenza Basilicate, Italy. |
| 208 km (129 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Torre del Greco Campania, Italy. |
| 213 km (132 mi) S from epicenter |
Siracusa Sicily, Italy. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Naples Campania, Italy. |
| 262 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
Taranto Apulia, Italy. |
| 277 km (172 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Formia Lazio, Italy. |
| 289 km (180 mi) N from epicenter |
Campobasso Molise, Italy. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NE from epicenter |
Bari Apulia, Italy. |
Shaking reported by 6 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 5 places, all within Italy.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Messina, Sizilien, Italy: 2 people.
- Monreale, Sizilien, Italy: 1 person.
- Palermo, Sizilien, Italy: 1 person.
- San Pier Niceto, Sizilien, Italy: 1 person.
- SantʿAgata di Militello, Sizilien, Italy: 1 person.
8 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 8 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.4 was detected 63 km (39 mi) southwest of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.6
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
1 day earlier Feb 6, 2025 14:42 (Rome Time) | 70 km (43 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Feb 7, 2025 16:19 (Rome Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
21 mins later Feb 7, 2025 16:40 (Rome Time) | 73 km (45 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
23 mins later Feb 7, 2025 16:42 (Rome Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
29 mins later Feb 7, 2025 16:48 (Rome Time) | 73 km (45 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 hr later Feb 7, 2025 17:26 (Rome Time) | 63 km (39 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 hr later Feb 7, 2025 17:36 (Rome Time) | 73 km (45 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
2 hrs later Feb 7, 2025 18:08 (Rome Time) | 60 km (37 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs later Feb 7, 2025 18:37 (Rome Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
3 hrs later Feb 7, 2025 19:06 (Rome Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 1st, 2023, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 75 km (47 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck on October 28th, 2016.
In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 years.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 67 km (42 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/02/25 23:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pc4p
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250207_0000299
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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