A major earthquake struck Pompeii and Herculaneum in 62 AD, possibly foreshadowing the catastrophic Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 February AD 62
- Estimated magnitude
- 5–6 Richter scale
- Maximum intensity
- IX–X Mercalli scale
- Towns affected
- Pompeii and Herculaneum
- Contemporary account
- Seneca the Younger, Naturales quaestiones VI
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Seismic activity beneath the Campania region of Italy, likely related to the volcanic system of Mount Vesuvius, generated significant ground movement. This region sits atop geologically active zones that would continue to show instability over the following decades.
On 5 February AD 62, an earthquake estimated at magnitude 5–6 and reaching intensity IX or X on the Mercalli scale struck the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The event caused severe structural damage to both settlements and was documented by Seneca the Younger in De Terrae Motu.
Both Pompeii and Herculaneum sustained heavy damage and required extensive rebuilding, much of which was still ongoing when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. The earthquake is now regarded by scholars as a possible precursor to that eruption, which ultimately buried and destroyed both towns.