Reported by EMSC6d ago
M2.4 earthquake in Greece
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 05:23:52 UTC · 39.999°N, 20.490°E
A magnitude 2.4 earthquake struck in Greece on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 05:23:52 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.4
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency IGEO
- Nearest tracker
- 99 km
- from Vlore
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 kg of TNT
That is about 1/250,808 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 7,943 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
169 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.7 on September 20, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 612 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 · 221 km S of this epicenter
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 257 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 278 km E of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 298 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 206 km S of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 243 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.832 km SW of Lithakiá, GreeceOctober 25, 2018 · 276 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 240 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 183 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,377 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 · 243 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 191 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 87 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 259 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 192 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.