QuakeScout
Magnitude3.7

Reported by EMSC6d ago

M3.7 earthquake in Greece

Sunday, September 20, 2026, 09:19:26 UTC · 39.728°N, 20.676°E

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck in Greece on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 09:19:26 UTC, at a depth of 16.3 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.7
Minor · ml
Depth
16 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency EMSC
Nearest tracker
99 km
from Lefkada

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

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

5 tons of TNT

That is about 1/2,814 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 89 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

140 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

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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.9 on September 22, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M41h6h1d3dMainshock M3.7
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.5Greece2d ago · 33 km W of this epicenter
  2. 2.9Greece4d ago · 44 km S of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 663 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 · 193 km S of this epicenter
  2. 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 291 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 269 km E of this epicenter
  4. 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 173 km S of this epicenter
  5. 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 210 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 6.832 km SW of Lithakiá, GreeceOctober 25, 2018 · 246 km S of this epicenter
  7. 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 210 km S of this epicenter
  8. 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 185 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 195 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,473 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1851M6.6

    Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey

    12 Oct 1851 · 119 km away · intensity XI

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

  2. 1963M6.0

    Macedonia: Skopje

    26 Jul 1963 · 269 km away · intensity X

    1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage

  3. 1953M7.2

    Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)

    12 Aug 1953 · 159 km away · intensity X

    476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami

  4. 1851

    Berat

    17 Oct 1851 · 119 km away · intensity X

    400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  5. 1820M6.9

    Zakinthos (Zante)

    29 Dec 1820 · 225 km away · intensity X

    388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1767M6.7

    Kefalonia

    11 Jul 1767 · 163 km away · intensity X

    303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

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

Nearby trackers

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