In the night of Friday November 13th, 2026, a significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin 74 kilometer from Irákleion, Greece. Another country near the epicenter is Libya.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin, 26 kilometers (16 mi) off the coast of Greece, 74 kilometer south of Irákleion in Crete. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 43 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 13, 2026 02:05 (Athens Time) - Nov 13, 2026 00:05 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 74 km south of Irákleion, Crete, Greece. Coordinates 34°41'48"N 24°52'47"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 74 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 43 km (27 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. Greece and Libya are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Irákleion in Crete, Greece. Irákleion is located 74 kilometer (46 mi) south of the epicenter.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 74 km (46 mi) N from epicenter |
Irákleion Crete, Greece. |
| 83 km (52 mi) NW from epicenter |
Rethymno Crete, Greece. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NW from epicenter |
Chaniá Crete, Greece. |
| 298 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Darnah Darnah, Libya. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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.
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 November 2nd, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 147 km (92 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on May 2nd, 2020.
In total, 42 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 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 43 km (27 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 13/11/26 23:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000txx9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261113_0000002
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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