QuakeScout
Magnitude2.6

Reported by EMSC5d ago

M2.6 earthquake in Adriatic Sea

Monday, September 21, 2026, 03:29:09 UTC · 40.340°N, 19.440°E

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck in Adriatic Sea on Monday, September 21, 2026, 03:29:09 UTC, at a depth of 4.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.6
Minor · ml
Depth
4 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency EMSC
Nearest tracker
14 km
from Vlore

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

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

120 kg of TNT

That is about 1/125,702 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3,981 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

178 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

4 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 M2.2 on September 23, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

1h6h1d3dMainshock M2.6
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 · 47 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 420 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 · 266 km S of this epicenter
  2. 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 196 km N of this epicenter
  3. 6.815 km ENE of Póros, GreeceAugust 12, 1953 · 273 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 6.7Ionian SeaNovember 15, 1959 · 294 km S of this epicenter
  5. 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 149 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 263 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 6.73 km SW of Kuklis, North MacedoniaMarch 8, 1931 · 293 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 6.635 km NW of Itháki, GreeceApril 22, 1948 · 213 km SE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 146 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 27,192 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1857M6.5

    Campania, Potenza

    16 Dec 1857 · 292 km away · intensity X

    10,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

  2. 1857

    Calabria,Montemurro

    16 Sep 1857 · 280 km away

    10,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  3. 1851M6.6

    Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey

    12 Oct 1851 · 28 km away · intensity XI

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

  4. 1963M6.0

    Macedonia: Skopje

    26 Jul 1963 · 250 km away · intensity X

    1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage

  5. 1836

    Rossano,Crosia,Craco,Basilicata

    24 Apr 1836 · 256 km away · intensity XI

    589 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  6. 1953M7.2

    Lixouri-Argostoli (Kephallenia)

    12 Aug 1953 · 255 km away · intensity X

    476 deaths$100 million damagetsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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