During the 4th century AD southern Calabria and eastern Sicily were hit by an earthquake documented
by archaeoseismic analyses, which was interpreted by Guidoboni et al. (2000) as the predecessor of
the well-know 1908 earthquake, located in Messina Strait, whereas Galli and Bosi (2002) interpreted
this event as the precedessor of the 1783 earthquake.
The purpose of this paper is to find further evidence of these earthquakes in Messina area by a multidisciplinary
study aimed to recognize and date historical and paleo-earthquakes. For this goal we have
analyzed historical, archaeological and geological information of excavations performed at Capo
Peloro near the Torre del Faro village (Fig. 1) in the Torre degli Inglesi (English Tower), built on an
abandoned Roman tower

Barbano, M. S.

De Martini, P. M.

Gerardi, F.

Pantosti, D.

Pirrotta, C.

Smedile, A.

Earth-prints Repository

Historical, archaeological and geological records of strong 
earthquakes at Capo Peloro (southern Italy) 
 
M.S. Barbano(1), D. Pantosti(2), P.M. De Martini(2), A. Smedile
(1), F. Gerardi.(1), C. 
Pirrotta(1)  
 
(1)
 Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Università di Catania, Corso Italia 55, 95129 Catania, Italy  
(2)
 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Sismologia e Tettonofisica, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 
00143 Roma, Italy
 
 
 
The recurrence interval for large magnitude earthquakes in Italy is generally longer than 1000 years 
(e.g Valensise and Pantosti, 1992; Pantosti et al., 1993; Galadini and Galli, 2004), and largest 
earthquakes usually have repeat times of the same order as the length of the available historical 
records. Although the Italian catalogues report earthquakes which occurred in a long time span (461 
BC – 2002 AD) (Boschi et al., 2000; Working group CPTI, 2004), the historical data on the 
earthquake effects are generally sparse at least until the 13-14th century events.  
During the 4
th
 century AD southern Calabria and eastern Sicily were hit by an earthquake documented 
by archaeoseismic analyses, which was interpreted by Guidoboni et al. (2000) as the predecessor of 
the well-know 1908 earthquake, located in Messina Strait, whereas Galli and Bosi (2002) interpreted 
this event as the precedessor of the 1783 earthquake. 
The purpose of this paper is to find further evidence of these earthquakes in Messina area by a multi-
disciplinary study aimed to recognize and date historical and paleo-earthquakes. For this goal we have 
analyzed historical, archaeological and geological information of excavations performed at Capo 
Peloro near the Torre del Faro village (Fig. 1) in the Torre degli Inglesi (English Tower), built on an 
abandoned Roman tower.  
 
 
 
Fig. 1. (A) Tsunami inundation in Eastern Sicily: lines with different grey tones and patterns and small striped rectangles 
indicate the inundated coastal areas. (B) Topographic map of the Ganzirri  peninsula with the location of Torre degli Inglesi 
(arrow) near Capo Peloro, and the village of Torre Faro on the southern coast (from IGMI 1:25000 scale topographic maps) 
(after Pantosti et al., 2007). 
 
Historical earthquakes and tsunamis. There is a little evidence of earthquakes during the first 
millennium in the area surrounding the Straits of Messina; for the events in 91 BC, 17 AD, around the 
middle of the 4
th
 century AD (Guidoboni et al., 1994, 2000), and  853 AD (Guidoboni et al., 1994; 
Boschi et al., 2000) no reliable information of damage is available. Between the end of the fifteenth 
and the end of sixteen centuries four events damaged some localities near the Messina Straits and the 
first observation for Torre del Faro refers to the 1509 earthquakes (Boschi et al., 2000). At Torre del 
Faro the two shocks of 5 and 6 Feb 1783 caused strong damage and the upper part of the Torre degli 
Inglesi collapsed (Vivenzio, 1783). The earthquake of 28 December 1908 caused four cracks in the 
new lighthouse of Capo Peloro; cracks E-W and N-S, and a large fracture E-W which caused 
disjunction and relative lowering of the northern wall of the Torre degli Inglesi (Baratta, 1910), also 
opened. 
In the area of Messina Straits tsunamis were observed after the 1169 and 1693 south-eastern Sicily 
earthquakes, after the two shocks of 5 Feb and 6 Feb 1783, and after the 1908 earthquake. In the 
Ganzirri Peninsula, where Torre degli Inglesi is located, there is description for only the two most 
recent tsunamis with reference to the village of Torre Faro; no direct mention of Torre degli Inglesi is 
found. At Torre Faro the 6 Feb 1783 tsunami flooded the shore for about 400 steps (~ 400m) inland 
depositing a large amount of silt and dead fishes (Sarconi, 1784). Conversely, the 1908 tsunami 
inundation decreased substantially to the north of the town of Messina and produced a wave that, 
according to Baratta (1910), flooded inland at Torre Faro only 5m. 
 
Archeological data. The Torre degli Inglesi is a rectangular base defence tower located about 40 m 
from the present shoreline, at an elevation of about 6 m a.s.l. (Fig. 1B). According to archaeological 
evidence studied by the Superintendence of the Archaeological heritage of Messina, the main building 
phases (Fig. 2) of the Torre degli Inglesi, can be summarized as follows: (i) between the 1
st
 century 
BC and 1
st
 century AD construction of the Roman Tower; (ii) between 3
rd
-16
th
 century destruction (by 
an earthquake?, a fire?), abandonment and rebuilt of a new undefined structure; (iii) 16
th
 century 
construction of the Torre degli Inglesi; (iv) end of 19
th
 century construction of a paved garden. Finally, 
the tower was restored after the 1908 earthquake. 
 
 
 
Fig. 2. View of the archaeological excavation on the NW side of Torre degli Inglesi. The main building phases (i to iv) are 
visible with the relative chronology. Different patterns highlight the major relationships between features of different age. 
Labels figure 3a and 3b indicate the view of photographs shown in the relative figure (after Pantosti et al., 2007). 
 
Geological evidence. On the basis of the detailed survey of the deposits exposed in the archaeological 
excavation (Fig. 3 a and b), we found two layers (units 90/80 and 1) completely different from the 
deposits exposed at the site and nearby. In fact, these are composed by clean, gray, silicoclastic sands, 
rounded cobbles and pebbles, substantially contrasting the dark organic colluvia rich in wastes, related 
to human activity. Micropaleontological analyses confirmed the different origin of the deposits 
composing units 90 and 1 that are likely marine. The nature of these deposits, coupled to their sharp 
erosional contacts and their relative infrequency (i.e., if these were storm deposits these should be 
more frequent), allow us to interpret these layers as paleotsunami deposits (Pantosti et al., 2007).  
Radiocarbon dating was performed on 6 charcoals (Fig. 3 a), sampled in the lower bioclastic sandy 
layer (Unit 90) and in the sandy layers just below and above the same layer, constrain the age of the 
lowermost tsunami sand (Pantosti et al., 2007); while the samples (Fig. 3 b) collected in the artificial 
levelling deposits into two levels to the left and to the right of the fracture, well predate the younger 
tsunami deposit, that underlies the paved garden of the 19
th
 century (Fig. 2).  
Combining archeological, historical and radiocarbon data we may associate the oldest tsunami layer 
(unit 90/80) to the 17 AD earthquake, for which no knowledge and information reported by historical 
sources existed about tsunamis till now. Conversely, the youngest layer (unit 1) is likely related to the 
1783 Feb. 6 earthquake that is well known of the triggered tsunami (Pantosti et al., 2007). No evidence 
for the famous 1908 Messina tsunami was found. 
The deposits and the building also exhibit earthquake-related damage. Extension fractures striking 
N45° cross the deposits (Fig. 3b). The fractures are up to 2 cm wide and extend through the cisterns 
(Fig. 4) upward into 1800 walls.  
 
 
 
Fig. 3. View of the walls of the studied excavation at Torre degli Inglesi (see Figure 2 for location). Numbers refer to 
stratigraphic units described in the text, white triangles are location of dated charcoals. Measured and dendrochronologically 
corrected ages of samples (Stuiver et al., 2006) are reported as yr BP and 2 intervals, respectively. a) NW wall; b) NE wall; 
dashed black line highlights a fracture probably related to the 1908 earthquake (modified from Pantosti et al., 2007). 
 
 
 
Fig. 4. Fracture crossing all the manufactures at Torre degli Inglesi  
 
Discussion. The sedimentological and archaeological stratigraphy and dating at the site of Torre degli 
Inglesi contain evidence of the effects of three possibly four earthquakes, two of which produced also 
large tsunami inundation. These are: 
• The sandy layer (unit 90/80) deposited by a tsunami between 0 and 125 AD that may be 
associated to the 17 AD earthquake. 
• The pillar and beams of a new construction intervening on the Roman structure but cut by the 
16
th
 century tower indicating the abandonment of the Roman tower and re-built of a new 
structure. The age of the fill around the tower containing wastes, pottery and charcoal 
(destruction layer?) is found consistently at AD 135-335 suggesting that the event of 
destruction occurred in this period of time. This event may be correlated to the 4
th
 cent. event 
(Guidoboni et al., 2000). 
• The sandy layer (unit 1), just below the end of 19th cent. pavement and wall that was probably 
deposited by the Feb 6, 1783 tsunami. 
• The north-eastern striking fracture, cutting both the deposits and manufacts, described in the 
historical accounts for the 1908 earthquake. 
 
These results call for a reconsideration of the historical seismicity of the area and especially on their 
attribution to seismic sources. This is particularly true for the 17 AD and 4
th
 cent. events for which 
limited knowledge exists. In fact, different authors interpret the 4
th
 cent. events as ancestor of the 1908 
or 1783 event providing indication on the repetition of large events on the causative faults; whereas 
the 17 AD earthquake is considered a minor shock, roughly located in the northern side of Mt. Etna 
with an maximum intensity of VIII-IX MCS and Maw = 5.14 (Working group CPTI, 2004) and 
information on related tsunami is not reported by historical sources.  
Revising these interpretations on the light of the results of this work is critical for the re-assessment of 
the seismogenic significance of the faults around the Strait of Messina. 
 
 
Acknowledgements: 
The authors are grateful to Dr. G. Tigano of the Superintendence of the Archaeological Heritage of Messina that 
kindly allowed us to scrutinise and sample the excavation walls and for her very useful Archaeological 
information. This work was funded by the Italian Dipartimento della Protezione Civile in the frame of the 2004-2006 
agreement with Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – INGV (Seismological Project S2).   
 
 
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Historical, archeological and geological records of strong earthquakes at Capo Peloro (southern Italy)

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Historical, archeological and geological records of strong earthquakes at Capo Peloro (southern Italy)

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