Magnitude 3.5 earthquake strikes near Tizi Ouzou, Wilaya de Tizi Ouzou, Algeria

Just 28 minutes ago, a magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck near Tizi Ouzou, Wilaya de Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. The tremor was recorded early on Wednesday morning, September 16th, 2026, at 1:02 a.m. local time, at a very shallow depth of 3.60 km below the surface.
The event was reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the RaspberryShake citizen-seismograph network, which also listed the quake at magnitude 3.5.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage but was probably felt by many people as a light vibration in the epicentral area.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Azazga (pop. 26,500), located 12 km from the epicenter; Freha (pop. 31,100), 17 km away; Arhribs (pop. 24,000), 19 km away; Mekla (pop. 29,600), 22 km away; Timizart (pop. 41,200), 23 km away; 'Ain el Hammam (pop. 28,000), 25 km away; and L'Arbaa Nait Irathen (pop. 30,600), 29 km away.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Tizi Ouzou (pop. 104,300), located 41 km from the epicenter.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Sep 16, 2026 12:02 a.m. (Universal Time) local time (16 Sep 2026 00:02 GMT)
Magnitude: 3.5
Hypocenter depth: 3.60 km
Epicenter coordinates: 36.72°N / 4.51°E (Guenzet, Wilaya de Tizi Ouzou, Algeria)
Primary data source: EMSC
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/news/355734/Magnitude-35-earthquake-strikes-near-Tizi-Ouzou-Wilaya-de-Tizi-Ouzou-Algeria.html