Reviewed by USGSAlbania107y ago
M6.2 earthquake 3 km SE of Tepelenë, Albania
Friday, November 26, 1920, 08:51:07 UTC · 40.269°N, 20.047°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 3 km SE of Tepelenë, Albania on Friday, November 26, 1920, 08:51:07 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on August 10, 1915.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · 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
28 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 59 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
200 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 51 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 · 90 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 213 km N of this epicenter
- 6.56 km N of Tríkeri, GreeceJanuary 20, 1905 · 288 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.532 km NNW of Lixoúri, GreeceAugust 7, 1915 · 200 km S of this epicenter
- 6.521 km SW of Lixoúri, GreeceJanuary 27, 1915 · 246 km S of this epicenter
- 6.411 km W of Kyllíni, GreeceJanuary 24, 1912 · 273 km S of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NW of Itháki, GreeceAugust 10, 1915 · 192 km S of this epicenter
- 6.326 km NNW of Itháki, GreeceNovember 27, 1914 · 193 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 89 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,704 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 39 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 39 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1820M6.9
Zakinthos (Zante)
29 Dec 1820 · 299 km away · intensity X
388 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1767M6.7
Kefalonia
11 Jul 1767 · 225 km away · intensity X
303 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1867M7.2
Cephalonia
4 Feb 1867 · 229 km away · intensity X
223 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1920M6.2
Tepelene, Dragoti, Peshtani, Maricaj
26 Nov 1920 · 9 km away · intensity XI
200 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.