Reported by EMSC6d ago
M2.0 earthquake in Albania
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 12:12:57 UTC · 40.719°N, 20.775°E
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck in Albania on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 12:12:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.0
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency IGEO
- Nearest tracker
- 45 km
- from Ohrid
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 kg of TNT
That is about 1/998,483 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 31,623 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
250 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 8 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.9 on September 24, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.0Albania1d ago · 12 km N of this epicenter
- 2.8Greece2d ago · 33 km E of this epicenter
- 2.9Greece2d ago · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 2.1Albania3d ago · 27 km S of this epicenter
- 2.5Albania4d ago · 11 km S of this epicenter
- 2.7Albania5d ago · 8 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania5d ago · 17 km N of this epicenter
- 2.0Albania6d ago · 49 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 482 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.07 km SE of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 237 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 201 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, GreeceSeptember 26, 1932 · 255 km E of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 229 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 282 km S of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SW of Galaxídhion, GreeceMarch 31, 1965 · 296 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 77 km N of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 204 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 164 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,380 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 94 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 160 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1953M7.2
Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)
12 Aug 1953 · 269 km away · intensity X
476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 94 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 274 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1867M7.2
Cephalonia
4 Feb 1867 · 278 km away · intensity X
223 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.