Reported by EMSC14d ago
M2.0 earthquake in Albania
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 22:43:20 UTC · 40.016°N, 19.970°E
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck in Albania on Saturday, September 12, 2026, 22:43:20 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
- 64 km
- from Vlore
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
173 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and African 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 10 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.5 on September 18, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.5Greece2d ago · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.2Albania3d ago · 11 km NW of this epicenter
- 2.1Greece6d ago · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 2.4Greece6d ago · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 2.0Greece7d ago · 42 km SE of this epicenter
- 3.5Albania8d ago · 12 km N of this epicenter
- 2.4Albania9d ago · 5 km NW of this epicenter
- 2.2Albania11d ago · 7 km N of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 550 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 222 km S of this epicenter
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 240 km N of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 276 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.832 km SW of Lithakiá, GreeceOctober 25, 2018 · 282 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 247 km S of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 160 km N of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 207 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 179 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,466 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 58 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 257 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1836
Rossano,Crosia,Craco,Basilicata
24 Apr 1836 · 292 km away · intensity XI
589 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 204 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 58 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 275 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.