A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck the Pamplona basin in Spain's Navarre region on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 10:49 local time, with its epicenter in the town of Burlada. Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN) put the depth at roughly 10 kilometres; no damage or injuries have been reported so far.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was felt across the Pamplona basin in Navarre, northern Spain, on the morning of Friday, October 9, 2026. The quake struck at 10:49 local time, according to Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), the national body responsible for monitoring seismic activity.
What happened
The IGN located the epicenter in Burlada, a municipality bordering the city of Pamplona, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres. The tremor was reported as strongly felt not only in Pamplona itself but also in the nearby areas of Sarriguren and Olaz, according to regional reporting that cited the IGN's preliminary data.
What is known so far
As of the time of reporting, no material damage or injuries had been linked to the quake. Spanish outlets described residents reacting quickly on social media and by phone to compare what they had felt, consistent with a shallow, locally-centred tremor rather than a deep, far-reaching one.
A basin with a long seismic history
The Pamplona basin is one of the more seismically active areas of mainland Spain, though most of its tremors are too weak to be felt. Historical research cited by regional outlets points to earthquakes of magnitude 6 to 7 and intensity VIII to X occurring in the region over the last seven centuries, with the last such major event dated to more than 260 years ago.
More recent decades have brought repeated swarms of smaller, locally-felt earthquakes rather than single large shocks. Experts cited in regional coverage note that most epicenters in the basin do not correspond to any previously mapped fault line, suggesting the activity stems from short, largely unmapped faults—some associated with underground salt formations near Salinas, Etxauri and Alloz—rather than a single well-defined 'Pamplona Fault'.
Notable earthquakes recorded in the Pamplona basin
Year
Magnitude / intensity
Location or notes
1903
Intensity-level event, over 3 hours of tremors
Felt across Pamplona
1923
Estimated 5.5–6 (intensity VIII)
Near Martes village; followed by two years of aftershocks
1998
5.2 (intensity V)
Lizarraga
2004
5.3 (Lizoáin) / 5.2 (Nagore)
Linked by some researchers to the filling of the Itoiz reservoir
2013
Crisis of 300+ small tremors
Attributed to underground salt-cavity collapses
2017
4.2
Egüés–Esteribar zone
2020–2021
Swarm, up to 4.1; over 800 tremors since August 2020
Felt as far as Bizkaia, Barcelona and Tarragona
2026 (Oct 9)
3.6
Epicenter in Burlada; this event
Why it matters
Earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4 are common in the Pamplona basin and rarely cause structural damage, but they are often strongly felt because their epicenters sit directly beneath populated areas at shallow depth. Regional authorities and the IGN continue to monitor the basin given its long history of earthquake swarms.
Questions
What magnitude was the earthquake that struck near Pamplona on October 9, 2026?
Spain's IGN recorded a magnitude 3.6 earthquake at 10:49 local time on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Where was the epicenter of the earthquake?
The epicenter was located in Burlada, a municipality bordering Pamplona, at a depth of about 10 kilometres according to the IGN.
Was any damage or injury reported?
No material damage or injuries had been reported as of the time of this report.
Is seismic activity common in the Pamplona basin?
Yes. The basin has a long history of earthquake swarms, including clusters in 2004, 2013, 2017 and 2020–2021, alongside larger historical quakes dating back centuries.
What causes the earthquakes in this area?
Researchers cited by regional media say most epicenters do not align with any single mapped fault, pointing instead to multiple short, largely unmapped faults, some linked to underground salt formations near Salinas, Etxauri and Alloz.
How the world is telling it
SpanishNavarre's regional press (eldebate.com, orain.eus, eldiario.es, nabarralde.eus) framed the story primarily as a local safety update, citing IGN figures on magnitude, time and epicenter, while placing the event within the basin's well-documented long-term pattern of earthquake swarms rather than treating it as an isolated or alarming occurrence.
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