Southern Europe
What tectonic plate is Albania on?
Albania sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 1
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 28,336 km²
Plates under Albania
Share of Albania's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
3 plate boundaries run through or along Albania: the Eurasian-African boundary (convergent, about 0.6 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 3.0 cm/yr) and the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr).
- Eurasian and African: convergent, 0.6 cm/yr
- Aegean Sea and Eurasian: divergent, 3.0 cm/yr
- Aegean Sea and African: convergent, 3.8 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Aegean Sea-African boundary, where the plates move about 3.8 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Albania
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Albania. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 km NNW of Bilisht, Albania | M6.6 | 1911 | 15 km | Eurasian |
Volcanoes in Albania
Albania has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Albania on?
Albania sits entirely on the Eurasian Plate.
Is Albania on a plate boundary?
3 plate boundaries run through or along Albania: the Eurasian-African boundary (convergent, about 0.6 cm/yr), the Aegean Sea-Eurasian boundary (divergent, about 3.0 cm/yr) and the Aegean Sea-African boundary (convergent, about 3.8 cm/yr).
Does Albania get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Albania. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 1 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M6.6 17 km NNW of Bilisht, Albania in 1911.
Are there volcanoes in Albania?
Albania has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.