QuakeScout
Magnitude3.5

Reported by EMSC8d ago

M3.5 earthquake in Albania

Friday, September 18, 2026, 13:06:59 UTC · 40.120°N, 19.920°E

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck in Albania on Friday, September 18, 2026, 13:06:59 UTC, at a depth of 0.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.5
Minor · ml
Depth
0 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency EMSC
Nearest tracker
53 km
from Vlore

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

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

3 tons of TNT

That is about 1/5,615 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 178 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

180 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

0 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.6 on September 21, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7dMainshock M3.5
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.2Albania3d ago · 8 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 2.6Adriatic Sea5d ago · 48 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 2.1Greece6d ago · 41 km E of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 528 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.026 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 17, 1983 · 234 km S of this epicenter
  2. 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 228 km N of this epicenter
  3. 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 233 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 287 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 6.832 km SW of Lithakiá, GreeceOctober 25, 2018 · 294 km S of this epicenter
  6. 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 259 km S of this epicenter
  7. 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 150 km N of this epicenter
  8. 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 216 km SE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 178 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:

  1. 1851M6.6

    Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey

    12 Oct 1851 · 46 km away · intensity XI

    2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  2. 1963M6.0

    Macedonia: Skopje

    26 Jul 1963 · 249 km away · intensity X

    1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage

  3. 1836

    Rossano,Crosia,Craco,Basilicata

    24 Apr 1836 · 289 km away · intensity XI

    589 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  4. 1953M7.2

    Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)

    12 Aug 1953 · 216 km away · intensity X

    476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami

  5. 1851

    Berat

    17 Oct 1851 · 46 km away · intensity X

    400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  6. 1820M6.9

    Zakinthos (Zante)

    29 Dec 1820 · 288 km away · intensity X

    388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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