On Sunday Night a Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck near Ioánnina in Greece.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 8th, 2026. Last updated April 1st, 2026.

In the early morning of Sunday March 8th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.5 earthquake hit under land 14 kilometer from Ioánnina in Greece. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities. Other nearby countries are Albania, North Macedonia, Italy and Montenegro.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Greece, 14 kilometer (9 mi) northwest of Ioánnina in Epirus. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 8, 2026 05:32 (Athens Time) - Mar 8, 2026 03:32 Universal Time.
Location:	14 km NW of Ioánnina, Epirus, Greece. Coordinates 39°43'13"N 20°42'36"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant economic impact

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Many homes destroyed, at least 140 homes damaged and several buildings damaged, landslides and power outages reported in the Dodoni-Ioannina-Seniko area.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 44% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 95% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 million USD.

Roughly 6.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 6.8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 4,030 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.6 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 6 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Greece , around 3.7 million people, with impact levels up to VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). Roughly 2.5 million people were exposed to shaking in Albania . Roughly 590 thousand people were exposed to shaking in North Macedonia . In Italy, Montenegro and Bulgaria, a smaller number of people were exposed.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Greece , Albania , North Macedonia , Italy and Montenegro are all within 300km distance of its epicenter. Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Bulgaria.

Ioánnina in Epirus, Greece is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 14 kilometer (9 mi) northwest of Ioánnina. Ioánnina experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Tirana is located 194 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Skopje is located 260 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Thessaloníki is located 215 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 23 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 23 people have reported shaking in 12 places in 2 countries (Greece, Albania).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Ioánnina, Ioánnina, Greece: 5 people.
• Vlorë, Vlorë, Albania: 5 people.
• Zítsa, Ioánnina, Greece: 2 people.
• Neokhorópoulon, Ioánnina, Greece: 2 people.
• Auliótai, Kérkira, Greece: 2 people.
• Pediní, Ioánnina, Greece: 1 person.
• Rodotópion, Ioánnina, Greece: 1 person.
• Anatolí, Ioánnina, Greece: 1 person.
• Tsiflikópoulon, Ioánnina, Greece: 1 person.
• Sarandë, Sarandë, Albania: 1 person.

51 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 51 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 13 km (8 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 29th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 271 km (168 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 25th, 2018.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 8 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 01/04/26 01:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000s2x6
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260308_0000045
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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