The 1169 Sicily earthquake occurred on 4 February 1169 at 08:00 local time on the eve of the feast of
St. Agatha
Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the M ...
of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
(in southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
). It had an estimated magnitude of between 6.4 and 7.3 and an estimated maximum perceived intensity of X (''Extreme'') on the
Mercalli intensity scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the effe ...
. The cities of
Catania,
Lentini
Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy).
History
The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 7 ...
and
Modica
Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains.
Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capita ...
were severely damaged, and the earthquake also triggered a
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
. Overall, the earthquake is estimated to have caused the deaths of at least 15,000 people.
Tectonic setting

Sicily lies on part of the complex
convergent boundary
A convergent boundary (also known as a destructive boundary) is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction. The subduction zone can be defined by a ...
where the
African Plate
The African Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of the continent of Africa (except for its easternmost part) and the adjacent oceanic crust to the west and south. It is bounded by the North American Plate and South American Plate ...
is
subducting
Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, the ...
beneath the
Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate that includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent and ...
. This subduction zone is responsible for the formation of the
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and p ...
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
. Most of the damaging earthquakes occur on the Siculo-Calabrian
rift zone
A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially shield volcanoes, in which a set of linear cracks (or rifts) develops in a volcanic edifice, typically forming into two or three well-defined regions along the flanks of the vent. Believed t ...
, a zone of extensional faulting which runs for about , forming three main segments through Calabria, along the east coast of Sicily and immediately offshore, and finally forming the southeastern margin of the
Hyblean Plateau
Hybla may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places Sicily
*Hybla Gereatis or Hybla Galeatis, possibly modern Paternò
*Hybla Heraea, historic quarter (Ibla) of modern Ragusa
*Hybla Major, perhaps identical with Megara Hyblaea or with Hybla Gereatis
*Hybla Minor ...
, a carbonate platform in southeastern Sicily. Faults in the Calabrian segment were responsible for the
1783 Calabrian earthquakes
The 1783 Calabrian earthquakes were a sequence of five strong earthquakes that hit the region of Calabria in southern Italy (then part of the Kingdom of Naples), the first two of which produced significant tsunamis. The epicenters form a clear a ...
sequence.
In the southern part of the eastern coast of Sicily, investigations have identified a series of active
normal dip-slip faults, dipping to the east. Most of these lie offshore, and some control basins that contain large thicknesses of
Quaternary sediments. The two largest faults, known as the western and eastern master faults, border
half-grabens
A half-graben is a geological structure bounded by a fault along one side of its boundaries, unlike a full graben where a depressed block of land is bordered by parallel faults.
Rift and fault structure
A rift is a region where the lithosphere ...
, with fill of up to and respectively. Onshore, two ages of faulting have been recognised, an earlier phase trending NW-SE and a later phase trending SSW-NNE that clearly offsets the first group, including the Avola fault and the Rosolini-Ispica fault system.
Earthquake
The location of the earthquake's
epicentre
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
is quite uncertain, with different seismologists giving locations offshore and onshore; there is similar uncertainty regarding the
1693 Sicily earthquake
The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on January 11 at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of ...
. The damaged area is similar to that for the 1693 earthquake, suggesting that both the location and magnitude were similar.
Intensities of X (''Extreme'') have been estimated for Catania,
Lentini
Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy).
History
The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 7 ...
and
Modica
Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains.
Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capita ...
, IX (''Violent'') at
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
* Syracuse, New York
** East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
and
Piazza Armerina
Piazza Armerina ( Gallo-Italic of Sicily: ''Ciazza''; Sicilian: ''Chiazza'') is a ''comune'' in the province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy.
History
The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) developed ...
and VIII (''Severe'') at
Santi Pietro e Paolo Santi Pietro e Paolo may refer to the following churches in Italy:
* Santi Pietro e Paolo, Acireale
* Santi Pietro e Paolo, Arese
* Santi Pietro e Paolo, Brebbia
* Santi Pietro e Paolo, Buonconvento
* Santi Pietro e Paolo, Castelnuovo di Garfa ...
and
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 in ...
. The earthquake was also felt in Calabria with a maximum intensity of VI (''Strong'') in
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated pop ...
.
The magnitude of the earthquake has been estimated from intensity information and these estimates vary from 6.4 on the M
e (Energy magnitude scale)
[ to 7.3 on the ]surface wave magnitude
The surface wave magnitude (M_s) scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements of Rayleigh surface waves that travel along the uppermost layers of the Earth. This ma ...
scale.
Tsunami
The tsunami affected most of the Ionian coast of Sicily and caused inundation from Messina in the north to the mouth of the Simeto
The Simeto (; scn, Simetu; la, Symaethus; el, Σύμαιθος) is a long river in Sicily, southern Italy. At , it is the second longest river on the island after the Salso (also known as Southern Imera), but the most important in terms of wat ...
River in the south.
Tsunami deposit
A tsunami deposit (the term tsunamiite is also sometimes used) is a sedimentary unit deposited as the result of a tsunami. Such deposits may be left onshore during the inundation phase or offshore during the 'backwash' phase. Such deposits are u ...
s correlated with this earthquake have been found both onshore and offshore. The tsunami is also thought to be responsible for moving several large boulders from the middle of the sublittoral zone onto the coast between Augusta and Syracuse.
Eruption of Etna
Some accounts of this earthquake refer to a major eruption from Etna at the time of the earthquake, blaming most of the deaths in Catania and the tsunami on the eruption. However, most later workers believe that the tsunami was triggered by the earthquake and that the only effect on Etna was the collapse of part of the cone above Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...
, with no significant eruption. As with the 1693 earthquake the 1169 event seems to have followed after a major period of eruptive activity. Calculations have shown that a major eruption may significantly increase the stress on the normal faults to the south-east of the volcano.
Damage
Catania was almost completely destroyed. Catania Cathedral
Catania Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Catania; Cattedrale di Sant'Agata), dedicated to Saint Agatha, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated ...
collapsed, killing the Bishop John of Ajello, 44 of the Benedictine monks, and many others who were crowded into the building for the feast of St. Agatha. Lentini, Modica, Aci Castello
Aci Castello ( scn, Jaci Casteḍḍu) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, Italy. The city is located north of Catania on the Mediterranean coast. The primary economic sectors are agriculture and industry (in Catania) ...
, Sortino
Sortino ( Sicilian: ''Sciurtinu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It is located in the Anapo river valley.
The Necropolis of Pantalica, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Syracuse and the Rocky Ne ...
and Syracuse were also severely damaged.
In a contemporary account, Hugo Falcandus Hugo Falcandus was a historian who chronicled the reign of William I of Sicily and the minority of his son William II in a highly critical work entitled ''The History of the Tyrants of Sicily'' (or ''Liber de Regno Sicilie''). The Latin of the work ...
described the effects on the Arethusa spring in Syracuse, which increased its rate of flow greatly and became salty. Near Casale Saraceno
Casale may refer to:
*''Casalis'', medieval Latin for a group of houses in the countryside
Places in Italy Communes
* Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta, Campania
* Casal Velino in the province of Salerno, Campania
* Casalattico, whe ...
the flow of another spring, known as Tais, stopped after the earthquake. Two hours later it returned with much greater force than before and had the colour of blood.
Estimates of the death toll in the earthquake vary, with 15,000 being often quoted, sometimes for the overall total and sometimes just for Catania. A few sources give the higher estimate of 25,000.
Aftermath
In the chaos that followed the earthquake, there was concern that exiles like Tancred of Lecce
Tancred ( it, Tancredi; 113820 February 1194) was King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was born in Lecce an illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia (the eldest son of King Roger II) by his mistress Emma, a daughter of Achard II, Count of L ...
and Robert of Loritello would take part in a Byzantine invasion of the island. However, these disaffected exiles were soon allowed to return and there was no invasion, nor the rebellion that it might have triggered.
Peter of Blois
Peter of Blois ( la, Petrus Blesensis; French: ''Pierre de Blois''; ) was a French cleric, theologian, poet and diplomat. He is particularly noted for his corpus of Latin letters.
Early life and education
Peter of Blois was born about 1130. Ear ...
saw the earthquake as God's punishment on the Sicilians for the exile of Stephen du Perche
Stephen du Perche (1137 or 1138 – 1169) was the chancellor of the Kingdom of Sicily (1166–68) and Archbishop of Palermo (1167–68) during the early regency of his cousin, the queen dowager Margaret of Navarre (1166–71).
Stephen is desc ...
and the appointment of Bishop John of Ajello John of AjelloAlso spelled "Agello", in Italian ''Giovanni d'Aiello'' or ''Giovanni da Salerno''. His family was from Salerno, but the name "Ajello", which comes from Aiello del Sabato, is applied retrospectively. John's nephew Richard became the ...
, through bribery, to the see of Catania, replacing his brother William of Blois in the post.
See also
* List of earthquakes in Italy
This is a list of earthquakes in Italy that had epicentres in Italy, or significantly affected the country. The highest seismicity hazard in Italy was concentrated in the central-southern part of the peninsula, along the Apennine ridge, in Cala ...
* List of historical earthquakes
Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the beginning of the 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine instrumental recordings, they rely mainly on the analysis of writte ...
* List of historical tsunamis
This article lists notable tsunamis, which are sorted by the date and location that the tsunami occurred.
Because of seismic and volcanic activity associated with tectonic plate boundaries along the Pacific Ring of Fire, tsunamis occur ...
References
{{authority control
1169 Sicily
Sicily earthquake
Sicily earthquake
12th century in the Kingdom of Sicily
Catania
Medieval tsunamis