Significant M5.1 Earthquake hit in the Ionian Sea near Reggio Calabria (Italy) on Saturday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 10th, 2026. Last updated January 11th, 2026.

In the early morning of Saturday January 10th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the Ionian Sea 59 kilometer from Reggio Calabria, Italy. Another nearby country is Malta.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Ionian Sea, 21 kilometers (13 mi) off the coast of Italy, 59 kilometer east-southeast of Reggio Calabria in Calabria. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 52 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 10, 2026 05:53 (Rome Time) - Jan 10, 2026 04:53 Universal Time.
Location:	59 km ESE of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy. Coordinates 37°55'26"N 16°17'41"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth:	52 km (32 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Italy and Malta are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Siderno in Calabria, Italy. Siderno is located 38 kilometer (24 mi) south of the epicenter.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Messina is located 72 km to the west-northwest. Reggio Calabria is located 59 km to the west-northwest. Palermo is located 260 km to the west.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 34 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 34 people have reported shaking in 25 places in 3 countries (Italy, Malta, Greece).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Mellieħa, Northern, Malta: 3 people.
• Syracuse, Sizilien, Italy: 2 people.
• Sliema, Inner Harbour, Malta: 2 people.
• San Ġiljan, Outer Harbour, Malta: 2 people.
• Msida, Inner Harbour, Malta: 2 people.
• Ta Xbiex, Inner Harbour, Malta: 2 people.
• Catania, Sizilien, Italy: 2 people.
• San Pawl il-Baħar, Northern, Malta: 2 people.
• Valletta, Inner Harbour, Malta: 1 person.
• Lecce, Apulien, Italy: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 7th, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 178 km (111 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck on October 28th, 2016.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 years.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 11/01/26 04:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rnuf
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260110_0000062
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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