Reported by EMSC1d ago
M2.2 earthquake in Albania
Friday, September 25, 2026, 21:06:26 UTC · 41.005°N, 20.006°E
A magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck in Albania on Friday, September 25, 2026, 21:06:26 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.2
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency IGEO
- Nearest tracker
- 39 km
- from Tirana
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kg of TNT
That is about 1/500,427 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 15,849 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
265 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
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.1 on September 25, 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 358 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 · 283 km E of this epicenter
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 138 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.86 km W of Stara Kresna, BulgariaApril 4, 1904 · 273 km E of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 62 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.77 km NE of Anávra, GreeceApril 30, 1954 · 270 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.73 km SW of Kuklis, North MacedoniaMarch 8, 1931 · 224 km E of this epicenter
- 6.635 km NW of Itháki, GreeceApril 22, 1948 · 272 km S of this epicenter
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 79 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 128 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,901 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 62 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 163 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 62 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 90 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1979M6.9
Montenegro
15 Apr 1979 · 138 km away · intensity IX
131 deaths$2.7 billion damagetsunami
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 126 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.