QuakeScout
Magnitude2.7

Reported by EMSC8d ago

M2.7 earthquake in Aegean Sea

Friday, September 18, 2026, 14:46:07 UTC · 40.270°N, 24.147°E

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck in Aegean Sea on Friday, September 18, 2026, 14:46:07 UTC, at a depth of 12.7 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.7
Minor · ml
Depth
13 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency EMSC
Nearest tracker
110 km
from Thessaloniki

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

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

169 kg of TNT

That is about 1/88,990 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2,818 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

33 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

13 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.0 on September 20, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7dMainshock M2.7
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.0Aegean Sea6d ago · 39 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 410 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.37 km N of Gönen, TurkeyMarch 18, 1953 · 297 km E of this epicenter
  2. 7.2Aegean SeaNovember 8, 1905 · 45 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.225 km SE of Malkara, TurkeyAugust 9, 1912 · 257 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.261 km W of Eresós, GreeceDecember 19, 1981 · 147 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.29 km NNW of Karaburun, TurkeyJuly 23, 1949 · 264 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 7.19 km S of Stara Zagora, BulgariaApril 14, 1928 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 7.13 km W of Brezovo, BulgariaApril 18, 1928 · 243 km N of this epicenter
  8. 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 182 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 124 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 28,929 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1883M7.3

    Ayvalik, Izmir, Cesme

    15 Oct 1883 · 281 km away · intensity X

    15,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

  2. 1881M7.3

    Khios; Turkey: Cesme

    3 Apr 1881 · 288 km away · intensity XI

    7,866 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  3. 1912M7.2

    Marmara Sea

    9 Aug 1912 · 257 km away

    2,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  4. 1953M7.3

    Yenice, Onon

    18 Mar 1953 · 297 km away

    1,070 deaths$4 million damage

  5. 1867M7.0

    Mitilini; Turkey: Izmir

    7 Mar 1867 · 226 km away

    563 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1894M6.7

    Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris)

    20 Apr 1894 · 203 km away · intensity X

    255 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

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

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