QuakeScout
Magnitude3.6

Reported by EMSC10d ago

M3.6 earthquake in Croatia

Thursday, September 17, 2026, 08:47:32 UTC · 45.131°N, 14.977°E

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck in Croatia on Thursday, September 17, 2026, 08:47:32 UTC, at a depth of 15.6 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.6
Minor · ml
Depth
16 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency EMSC
Nearest tracker
109 km
from Zagreb

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

4 tons of TNT

That is about 1/3,975 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 126 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

700 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

16 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 M2.9 on September 21, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7dMainshock M3.6
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.1Croatia2d ago · 14 km W of this epicenter
  2. 2.2Croatia2d ago · 13 km W of this epicenter
  3. 2.1Croatia3d ago · 14 km W of this epicenter
  4. 2.0Croatia4d ago · 18 km W of this epicenter
  5. 2.0Croatia4d ago · 17 km W of this epicenter
  6. 2.8Croatia4d ago · 18 km W of this epicenter
  7. 2.9Croatia5d ago · 15 km W of this epicenter
  8. 2.0Croatia5d ago · 17 km W of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 155 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 6.65 km ESE of Preci, ItalyOctober 30, 2016 · 294 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 6.53 km SW of Prato, ItalyMay 6, 1976 · 190 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 6.42 km WSW of Petrinja, CroatiaDecember 29, 2020 · 105 km E of this epicenter
  4. 6.24 km ENE of Baška Voda, CroatiaJanuary 11, 1962 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 6.22 km SE of Grabovci, CroatiaDecember 29, 1942 · 256 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 6.2CroatiaJanuary 7, 1962 · 265 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 6.1Bosnia and HerzegovinaMarch 15, 1923 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 6.11 km WNW of Lestans, ItalyJune 17, 1976 · 200 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 95 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,895 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1976M6.5

    Ne, Balkans Nw: Slovenia: Nw

    6 May 1976 · 190 km away · intensity X

    978 deaths$3.6 billion damage

  2. 1789

    Citta Di Castello,Sansepolcro

    30 Sep 1789 · 286 km away · intensity X

    500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  3. 1768

    Santa Sofia

    19 Oct 1768 · 267 km away · intensity X

    120 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  4. 1859

    Italy

    22 Aug 1859 · 300 km away · intensity XI

    100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1873

    Bellunese

    29 Jun 1873 · 233 km away · intensity X

    55 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1943

    Bosnia-Herzegovina

    29 Jan 1943 · 185 km away

    19 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

Closest city pages