Main points
- On May 3, an earthquake with a magnitude of 1.5 occurred in the Black Sea.
- Over the past two hundred years, about 200 earthquakes have been recorded in the Crimean-Black Sea zone, the strongest of which in 1927 had a magnitude of 8.
Earthquake in the Black Sea / Collage of Channel 24
Early in the morning of May 3, a minor earthquake occurred in the Black Sea. Its magnitude reached 1.5 points.
The relevant data is provided on the website of the European Mediterranean Seismological Center.
Earthquakes in the Black Sea: what's the latest news?
On May 3, at around 05:48, a minor earthquake with a magnitude of 1.5 occurred in the Black Sea at a depth of 7.5 kilometers. Another aftershock near Crimea was recorded on May 1 at around 23:26 – its magnitude was 2.9, and the epicenter was located 151 kilometers from occupied Kerch.
Earthquake in the Black Sea / Screenshot from the seismological center website
In total, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, as of May 3, 2026 , more than 40 earthquakes of varying magnitude were recorded in Turkey.
Earthquake in the Black Sea / Screenshot from the seismological center website
What is known about the seismologically active zone in the Black Sea?
According to research by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Crimean-Black Sea seismic zone is located in the Black Sea and extends along the southern coast of Crimea at a distance of approximately 20-40 kilometers from the shore. Earthquake centers here usually form at depths of 10 to 40 kilometers.
By the way, the peninsula itself is also a seismically hazardous region, located on the edge of the Mediterranean (Alpine-Himalayan) fold belt. Therefore, tremors of the earth's crust can be felt on the peninsula.
Over the past two hundred years, about 200 earthquakes with an average intensity of 4 to 7 points have been recorded in this region. However, the strongest was the 1927 earthquake with a magnitude of 8 points, which caused significant destruction and human casualties.
Also on February 27, 2023, an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 occurred approximately 25 kilometers from the southern coast of Crimea, the epicenter of which was located in the sea at a depth of about 15 kilometers.
Where else in Ukraine have earthquakes occurred recently?
Earthquakes are periodically recorded in other regions of our country. For example, on March 28, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.2 occurred in the Poltava region at a depth of about 8 kilometers, the epicenter of which was within the Machukhiv community.
On March 8, a weak earthquake measuring about 2 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Chernivtsi region at a depth of 11 kilometers – such tremors are usually not felt by people.
And on February 10, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 also occurred off the coast of Crimea, the epicenter of which was located at a depth of approximately 14 kilometers.