The 28 December 1908 Messina Straits Earthquake (Mw 7.1 ): A Great Earthquake throughout a Century of Seismology

Early in the morning on 28 December 1908, just a few days after Christmas, a severe earthquake struck the Messina Straits, a rather narrow sound that separates Calabria, in southern Italy, from Sicily (Figure 1). The shaking was distinctly felt in Albania, Montenegro, and the Greek Ionian islands, about 400 km to the east and northeast of the Straits; in Malta, about 250 km to the south; and as far as Ustica Island, about 220 km to the west. The earthquake was catastrophic in the epicentral area and was immediately followed by fires and a large tsunami. Messina (Sicily) and Reggio Calabria (Calabria), two significant cities located less than 10 km apart on the two facing shores of the straits, were almost completely destroyed, and buildings were severely damaged over an area in excess of 6,000 km2. Of the population at the time, estimated to number 140,000 at Messina and 45,000 at Reggio Calabria, a significant fraction was reported dead. Assessing the total number of victims has been problematic, as fatality estimates range from 60,000 to more than 100,000, yet 1908 was undeniably the deadliest European earthquake ever and one of the deadliest worldwide.