Reviewed by USGSAlbania101y ago
M5.9 earthquake 6 km W of Lushnjë, Albania
Friday, December 17, 1926, 11:39:57 UTC · 40.942°N, 19.628°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 6 km W of Lushnjë, Albania on Friday, December 17, 1926, 11:39:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on August 10, 1921.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
241 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.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 56 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.617 km NNW of Bilisht, AlbaniaFebruary 18, 1911 · 108 km E of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 132 km N of this epicenter
- 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 280 km S of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NW of Itháki, GreeceAugust 10, 1915 · 273 km S of this epicenter
- 6.326 km NNW of Itháki, GreeceNovember 27, 1914 · 275 km S of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 92 km N of this epicenter
- 6.23 km SE of Tepelenë, AlbaniaNovember 26, 1920 · 83 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.124 km SSW of Nestório, GreeceDecember 22, 1919 · 139 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 62 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,845 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 50 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1836
Rossano,Crosia,Craco,Basilicata
24 Apr 1836 · 297 km away · intensity XI
589 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 50 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 88 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 129 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
- 1786
Corfu (Kerkira)
5 Feb 1786 · 139 km away
120 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.