In the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin 86 kilometer from Chaniá, Greece, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Saturday June 20th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is Libya.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin, 50 kilometers (31 mi) off the coast of Greece, 86 kilometer south of Chaniá in Crete. 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: | Jun 20, 2026 12:37 (Athens Time) - Jun 20, 2026 09:37 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 86 km south of Chaniá, Crete, Greece. Coordinates 34°44'37"N 24°5'59"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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
Greece and Libya are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 77 kilometer (48 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Rethymno (Crete, Greece) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 77 km (48 mi) NE from epicenter |
Rethymno Crete, Greece. |
| 86 km (53 mi) N from epicenter |
Chaniá Crete, Greece. |
| 115 km (71 mi) NE from epicenter |
Irákleion Crete, Greece. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Darnah Darnah, Libya. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SW from epicenter |
Al Qubbah Darnah, Libya. |
| 295 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Tobruk Al Buţnān, Libya. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sparta Peloponnese, Greece. |
Shaking reported by 8 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 7 places, all within 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:
- Khanía, Haniá, Greece: 2 people.
- Palaiokhóra, Haniá, Greece: 1 person.
- Vríses, Haniá, Greece: 1 person.
- Ayía Marína, Haniá, Greece: 1 person.
- Ayía Galíni, Rethímni, Greece: 1 person.
- Darátsos, Haniá, Greece: 1 person.
- Yeráni, Haniá, Greece: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 6 mins before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.7 |
20 hrs earlier Jun 19, 2026 16:18 (Athens Time) | 82 km (51 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
6 mins earlier Jun 20, 2026 12:31 (Athens Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Jun 20, 2026 12:37 (Athens Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 April 24th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 164 km (102 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on May 2nd, 2020.
In total, 26 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 5 months.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/06/26 17:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000sutj
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260620_0000151
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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