Location:

Period:

11 Sep 2010 15:47:11 - 13 Sep 2010 05:26:44 (1 day 13 hours 39 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

None

Earthquakes:

4 swarms found nearby.

2016

PS20161016.1(83.5km)

15 Oct

6 hours

5 earthquakes

2019

S20190601.1(13.0km)

1 Jun

2 days 20 hours

114 earthquakes

S20190629.1(20.1km)

28 Jun

1 day 11 hours

48 earthquakes

2023

S20230323.1(22.1km)

23 Mar

1 day 16 hours

51 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm Analysis: Albania, September 2010

An earthquake swarm designated S20100912.1 occurred in Albania between 15:47 on 11 September 2010 and 05:26 on 13 September 2010. Over 37 hours and 39 minutes, 29 events were recorded. The sequence began with a magnitude 4.3 earthquake at a reported depth of 0 km, followed by events predominantly in the 1.5–3.4 range. Depths clustered between 10 and 16 km after the initial hours, with a few shallower outliers near 1–2 km. Activity tapered after the largest late-stage event of magnitude 2.5 on 13 September.

Albania occupies a tectonically active segment of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. The region experiences convergence between the Adriatic microplate and the Eurasian plate, accommodated along thrust and strike-slip faults such as the Shkodër-Pejë and Vlorë-Dibër systems. This setting produces frequent shallow to moderate-depth seismicity, consistent with the 2010 swarm depths.

Historical records document recurrent moderate events. The 1979 Montenegro earthquake (Mw 6.9) generated strong shaking across northern Albania. Earlier damaging shocks include the 1967 Dibër sequence and the 1926 Shkodër event. Instrumental catalogs from the past two decades confirm background rates of 2–4 magnitude events per year within the same epicentral zone.

The 2010 swarm displayed classic swarm characteristics: rapid onset, absence of a single dominant mainshock-aftershock decay, and spatial-temporal clustering. The initial 4.3 event was followed within minutes by several magnitude 2+ events at depths of 9–13 km. Subsequent activity migrated slightly deeper before diminishing. No events exceeded magnitude 4.3, and the total energy release remained modest.

Such swarms are interpreted as fluid-driven or aseismic-slip triggered episodes along favorably oriented faults. In Albania’s compressional regime, they contribute to long-term strain accommodation without producing surface rupture.

References

European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) regional bulletins, 2010
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Albania seismicity overview
Institute of Geosciences, Polytechnic University of Tirana, national seismic catalog summaries