Reported by EMSC14d ago
M2.0 earthquake in Albania
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 14:55:51 UTC · 41.071°N, 20.405°E
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck in Albania on Saturday, September 12, 2026, 14:55:51 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.0
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency IGEO
- Nearest tracker
- 34 km
- from Ohrid
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 kg of TNT
That is about 1/998,483 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 31,623 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
288 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS and EMSC list 9 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.5 on September 16, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.1Albania1d ago · 42 km W of this epicenter
- 2.2Albania1d ago · 34 km W of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania1d ago · 42 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania5d ago · 43 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania6d ago · 34 km SW of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania6d ago · 50 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.5Albania10d ago · 36 km W of this epicenter
- 2.3Albania11d ago · 40 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 382 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 249 km E of this epicenter
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 151 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 294 km E of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 240 km E of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 37 km N of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.73 km SW of Kuklis, North MacedoniaMarch 8, 1931 · 190 km E of this epicenter
- 6.635 km NW of Itháki, GreeceApril 22, 1948 · 277 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 136 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,920 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 87 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 136 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 87 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 103 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1979M6.9
Montenegro
15 Apr 1979 · 151 km away · intensity IX
131 deaths$2.7 billion damagetsunami
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 133 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.