| Earthquakes in Romania | |
| Label1: | Largest |
| Data1: | 7.9 Mw 1802 Vrancea earthquake |
| Label2: | Deadliest |
| Data2: | 7.2 Mw 1977 Vrancea earthquake 1,578 killed |
This is a list of earthquakes in Romania, including any notable historical earthquakes that have epicenters within the current boundaries of Romania, or which caused significant effects in this area.
The seismicity of Romania is clustered in several epicentral zones: Vrancea, Făgăraș-Câmpulung, Banat, Crișana, Maramureș, and Southern Dobrogea.[1] Other epicentral zones of local importance can be found in Transylvania, in the area of Jibou and Târnava River, in the northern and western part of Oltenia, in northern Moldova, and the Wallachian Plain.[2] The Vrancea seismogenic zone is the most important among these seismic zones, having in mind the energy, the extent of the macroseismic effects, and the persistent and confined character of the earthquakes that occur in this area. The Vrancea area is responsible for over 90% of all earthquakes in Romania, releasing over 95% of the seismic energy.[3] Two belts of moderate and shallower seismicity are emphasized in the other regions of the country: one along the Southern Carpathians and the eastern edge of the Pannonian Basin, the other along the Eastern Carpathians that extends towards SE on the Peceneaga–Camena line.[4] [5] [6]
During the last 1,000 years, according to historical data, it is thought that 17 earthquakes of 7 and over magnitude have occurred, which suggests a means for unleashing the energy every 58 years. Statistically, the magnitude 6 and over earthquakes in the Vrancea area occur approximately every 10 years, with magnitude 7 every 33 years, while those with 7.5 magnitudes every 80 years.[7]
Earthquakes listed in the following tables include only M6.0+ events or earthquakes with significant material damage or casualties. All seismic events are shown in detail in the ROMPLUS catalog of the National Institute for Earth Physics. It collected information from the catalog of Constantinescu and Mîrza (1980) for the period 984–1997. After 1997, the catalog was permanently filled and updated with data on seismic events produced in Romania and around national borders.
| Date | Epicenter | Intensity | Deaths | Damage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 July 455 | It destroyed several towns and villages in Transylvania.[8] | |||||
| 543?–545? | 7.5 | Large tsunami on the Dobrujan shore of the Black Sea. The Roman fortress of Capidava, Constanța County, is destroyed.[9] | ||||
| August 815 | Strong earthquakes, for five days, from the Balkans to the Carpathians, resulting in severe damage. | |||||
| 6 July 1092 | Catastrophic earthquakes lasting eight days causes huge losses in the Tisza area, also affecting Sătmar.[10] | |||||
| 25 January 1348 | Large earthquake in the Danube basin. 40 shocks in one day, strongly felt in Hungary, Italy, southern Germany, etc. | |||||
| 5 June 1443 | Parts of the Royal Palace, walls of the Citadel of Angevins and many other buildings in Temesvár collapse.[11] The St. Ladislau Cathedral in Várad is destroyed.[12] | |||||
| 29 August 1471 | 7.1 | VIII–IX | The church of Neamț Monastery and the Neboisei Tower of Suceava Fortress are severely damaged.[13] In Brașov, a part of Mount Tâmpa slips over the city, and the citadel of Radu cel Frumos in Bucharest is reported in ruins. | |||
| 24 November 1516 | Several houses destroyed and significant damage to surrounding wall of Brassó. Also felt in Suceava. | |||||
| 19 November 1523 | 4.7 | VII | Light damage reported in Meggyes. The pillars of Evangelical Church in Sebeș collapse.[14] Album Oltardianum indicates 20 houses collapsed in Sibiu, while the Chronicle of Hutter reports many deaths among old population.[15] | |||
| 26 October 1550 | 6.5 | VII–X | Large earthquake in southern Transylvania. | |||
| 10 August 1590 | 6.5 | VII–X | Large earthquake in southeastern Transylvania, with disastrous effects in Brașov, Râșnov, Sibiu and Mediaș. | |||
| 5 May 1603 | The strongest earthquake ever recorded inside the Carpathian arch. Also felt in Košice, Slovakia. | |||||
| 8 November 1620 | 6.9 | VIII–IX | ||||
| 9 August 1679 | 6.7 | VIII | ||||
| 18 August 1681 | 7.1 | VIII | The earthquake damages a dungeon in Suceava Fortress, in Moldavia. | |||
| 11 June 1738 | 7.7 | IX–X | See main article: 1738 Vrancea earthquake. Four mosques collapse in Nicopolis, the fortress of Niš, on the Serbian side of the Danube, reports significant damage. 11 monasteries, 15 houses, 15 towers and a church steeple collapse in Iași, while the walls and tower of the Prince's Court in Bucharest are destroyed.[16] [17] | |||
| 26 October 1802 | 7.9–8.2 | IX | 4 | See main article: 1802 Vrancea earthquake. Chronicles and records of the Orthodox Church indicate extensive damage to churches and tall buildings in Bucharest. This is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Romania, known by contemporary documents as "great earthquake of Good Friday". Felt on an area of 2 million km2. Despite its intensity, only four people were killed. | ||
| 1 July 1829 | Significant damage in Carei and Satu Mare. | |||||
| 26 November 1829 | 7.3[18] | VIII–IX | The earthquake occurs on Thursday morning, at 4 o'clock, causing great panic among population. In Bucharest, 150 stone houses are destroyed or severely damaged.[19] Felt over a very large area from Tisza to Bug and from Mureș to the Danube.[20] | |||
| 23 January 1838 | 7.5 | IX[21] | 73 | See main article: 1838 Vrancea earthquake. 73 deaths were recorded across the country, of which eight only in Bucharest.[22] In Wallachia, 217 churches collapsed or were severely damaged. A massive landslide barred the Bicaz River, forming the Red Lake.[23] | ||
| 13 November 1868 | 6.4 | VII–VIII | ||||
| 10 October 1879 | 5.3 | VIII | The earthquake was followed by three aftershocks with magnitude over 4.1.[24] | |||
| 3 October 1880 | 5.3 | VIII | ||||
| 31 August 1894 | 7.1 | VIII | Occurred at 2:20 p.m. Underground noises reported in Panciu, Adjud and Focșani. | |||
| 31 March 1901 | 7.2 | X | See main article: 1901 Black Sea earthquake. A 4 m high tsunami devastates localities on the shore of the Black Sea. Large landslides reported in Dobrich Province. Light damage to buildings in Bucharest.[25] | |||
| 6 February 1904 | 6.6 | VI | ||||
| 6 October 1908 | 7.1 | VIII | The earthquake had three explosive moments at an interval of three minutes. The last phase generated "frightening jolts" and "formidable underground rumble". It damaged old houses in Bucharest, eastern Wallachia and southern Moldavia.[26] | |||
| 25 May 1912 | 6.7 | VII | ||||
| 29 March 1934 | 6.6 | VII | ||||
| 10 November 1940 | 7.7 | IX[27] | 1,000 | See main article: 1940 Vrancea earthquake. This was the strongest earthquake recorded in the 20th century in Romania. Its effects were devastating in central and southern Moldavia, but also in Wallachia. The death toll was estimated at 1,000, with an additional figure of 4,000 wounded, mostly in Moldavia.[28] The earthquake was felt in Bucharest, where there were about 300 deaths, mostly from the collapse of Carlton Bloc.[29] | ||
| 7 September 1945 | 6.8 | VII–VIII | ||||
| 9 December 1945 | 6.5 | VII | ||||
| 4 March 1977 | 7.4 | VII–IX | 1,578 | See main article: 1977 Vrancea earthquake. 1,578 dead and 11,221 injured in Romania.[30] 120 dead and 165 injured in Bulgaria. Two dead in Moldova. Felt from Rome to Moscow and from Turkey to Finland.[31] A World Bank report indicates damage worth US$2.048 billion.[32] | ||
| 30 August 1986 | 7.1 | VIII | 150 | See main article: 1986 Vrancea earthquake. Officially, two dead and 558 injured.[33] In Chișinău, four apartment buildings collapsed, resulting in at least 100 casualties. In Bucharest, 50 workers were killed in the basement of a building, crushed by piles of rubble. The information was never confirmed. Over 50,000 houses were damaged.[34] | ||
| 30 May 1990 | 6.9 | VIII | 14 | See main article: 1990 Vrancea earthquakes. 14 dead and 362 injured.[35] Severe damage reported on large areas in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria. Munich Re indicates economic losses of US$30 million.[36] | ||
| 31 May 1990 | 6.4 | VII | See main article: 1990 Vrancea earthquakes. This was the strongest aftershock of the 30 May mainshock. | |||
| 12 July 1991 | 5.7 | VIII | 2 | 5,000 rural buildings and a monumental church of German architecture are damaged.[37] 2 dead, 30 injured, hundreds to thousands displaced due to severe damage to buildings.[38] | ||
| 2 December 1991 | 5.6 | VIII | Some injured, serious damage in Voiteg (5,000 houses), 4,500 displaced. | |||
| 24 May 2002 | 4.7 | V | Five people were injured and some houses slightly damaged.[39] | |||
| 27 October 2004 | 6.0 | Old buildings were slightly damaged. Blackouts were reported in epicentral area.[40] | ||||
| 22 November 2014 | 5.7 | V | See main article: 2014 Vrancea earthquake. Cracks in walls and roads were reported in Galați and Tulcea.[41] Telephone network and power supply were disrupted in epicentral area. One man was injured in Tulcea. Eight people were injured in Galați[42] and five hypertensive people in Brăila needed medical care because of panic attacks.[43] | |||
| 24 September 2016 | 5.3 | VI | In Iași, a young man jumped out a window, suffering a fracture, and an old woman hurt herself in her house, while 12 people suffered panic attacks.[44] | |||
| 28 October 2018 | 5.8 | VI | In Bucharest, an old house was slightly damaged.[45] The Bucharest–Ilfov Ambulance Service registered 25 calls for panic attacks. Power supply was briefly disrupted in Întorsura Buzăului, close to the epicenter.[46] | |||
| 31 January 2020 | 5.2 | V | It happened at 03:26.[47] | |||
| 3 November 2022 | Vrancea County | 5.4 | V | |||
| 13 February 2023[48] | Gorj County | 5.0 | VII | A foreshock of the 14 February Gorj earthquake. | ||
| 14 February 2023[49] | Gorj County | 5.7 | VII | 22 localities affected in five counties – Gorj, Dolj, Hunedoara, Mehedinți and Vâlcea. Four people in Gorj injured by detached construction elements. 48 buildings slightly damaged in Târgu Jiu, close to the epicenter.[50] | ||
| The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described are also applicable to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. | ||||||