Earthquakes in Sardinia, 19 in 2025: "Tremors in Berchidda and at sea, the others were explosions."

Earthquakes in Sardinia? Few, but they have occurred. Not all of them, out of a total of 19 recorded, were triggered by autonomous movements of the Earth's crust. Only one noteworthy event was recorded on land: a magnitude 2 tremor was recorded in Berchidda. It occurred at 12:54 PM on February 13th. This is a minimal magnitude, but it stands out compared to the values for an island defined as having minimal seismicity, close to zero. There is more movement off the coast of Gallura, at sea, with tremors "of magnitude up to 2.7," like the one recorded off Olbia. Meanwhile, "other events, of lower magnitude, have been classified as quarry explosions or explosions."

The INGV, the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, has released a report on a year of earthquakes in Italy, taking stock of seismograph activity in 2025. Sardinia is so marginalized that its statistics are listed under "curiosity": "The region with the fewest earthquakes: Sardinia, as always," it states. "It is the Italian region furthest from the deformation belts of the Apennines and the Alps," the explanation goes, "and is therefore characterized by much rarer seismicity than other Italian regions, but not absent."

Below are notes on the most significant events. These almost disappear when looking at the interactive map. The peninsula is dotted with yellow and orange circles: their size and color intensity convey the strength of the tremors. On this side of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the symbols are small, clear, and sporadic.

Throughout Italy, however, "in 2025, 15,759 earthquakes were detected in Italy and surrounding areas. INGV researchers and technicians, present 24/7 in their Operations Rooms, analyzed and located an average of just over 43 seismic events per day, approximately one every 33 minutes. This figure indicates a slight decrease in the daily average compared to that recorded in 2024."

The most intense event "occurred in the Adriatic Sea, in the Gargano area, about ten kilometers off the coast of the province of Foggia. This event, which had a magnitude of 4.8, is part of a seismic sequence that began in March 2025 in the area north of the Gargano Promontory, near Lake Lesina."