1986 Vrancea earthquake

1986 Vrancea Earthquake
Date 30 August 1986 (1986-08-30)
Magnitude Mw 7.1
Depth 132 km
Casualties 2[1]

Striking central Romania on August 30 at 21:28 UTC, the 1986 Vrancea earthquake killed two people, injured over 500, and damaged over 50,000 homes. The second largest earthquake in the area since the modernization of earthquake monitoring devices,[2] it was felt north to Poland and south to Italy and Greece.

One local news facility listed that the earthquake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale[3], and USGS listed its seismic moments as 5.6 and 7.9.[4] A research paper of V. I. Ulomov cited this earthquake with magnitude Mw 7.1.[5] Its epicenter was somewhere in the Vrancea Mountains.

The focal mechanism of the earthquake was described as "moderately well controlled" suggesting reverse faulting with some strike-slip motion.

Contents

Geography

The epicenter was pinpointed to Vrancea County, specifically to the Vrancea Mountains, about 110 miles (177 km) north of Bucharest.[3] In 1977, another strong quake ruptured oil fields in the area.[3]

Damage and casualties

The earthquake was felt in at least eight geographically diverse countries, affecting most of southeast Europe.[4] The worst affected area was in the Focşani–Bârlad region, where intensity VIII (destructive) damage was recorded, causing a church to collapse.[4] Causing two deaths, the earthquake injured 558 people and fractured at least 55,000 households.[4] Intensity of VII was reported in Bucharest (very strong), and in northern Bulgaria. In addition, intensities of V (rather strong) were recorded in Skopje (now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, suggesting the earthquake was widespread.[4] This is confirmed by reports of the earthquake as far north as Hungary and east Poland, and as south as Greece and Italy.[4] Lesser intensities of IV (moderate) in Simferopol and Kiev in the Soviet Union and in Belgrade, Yugloslavia and intensity III (slight) in Moscow and Titograd, Yugoslavia were recorded.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/significant/sig_1986.php
  2. ^ Monfret, Tony; Deschamps, Anne, and Romanowicz, Barbara (April 1990). "The Romanian earthquake of August 30, 1986: A study based on GEOSCOPE very long-period and broadband data". Pure and Applied Geophysics 133 (2): 367–379. doi:10.1007/BF00877169. 10.1007/BF00877169. http://www.springerlink.com/content/n2171270k48x46p4/. Retrieved 2009-08-30. 
  3. ^ a b c "Major Earthquake Rocks Eastern Europe". AGERPRES. September 1, 1986. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24935261.html?dids=24935261:24935261&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+01%2C+1986&author=Chicago+Tribune+wires&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=MAJOR+EARTHQUAKE+ROCKS+EASTERN+EUROPE&pqatl=google. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Significant Earthquakes of the World: 1986". United States Geological Survey. July 16, 2008. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqarchives/significant/sig_1986.php. Retrieved August 30, 2009. 
  5. ^ http://www.springerlink.com/content/n3n160453030h443/fulltext.pdf
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