1986 Vrancea earthquake
Encyclopedia
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, 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, and USGS listed its seismic moment
s as 5.6 and 7.9. A research paper of V. I. Ulomov cited this earthquake with magnitude Mw 7.1. 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.
, specifically to the Vrancea Mountains
, about 110 miles (177 km) north of Bucharest
. In 1977, another strong quake ruptured oil fields in the area.
–Bârlad
region, where intensity VIII (destructive) damage was recorded, causing a church to collapse. Causing two deaths, the earthquake injured 558 people and fractured at least 55,000 households. 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. This is confirmed by reports of the earthquake as far north as Hungary and east Poland, and as south as Greece and Italy. 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.
One local news facility listed that the earthquake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale, and USGS listed its seismic moment
Seismic moment
Seismic moment is a quantity used by earthquake seismologists to measure the size of an earthquake. The scalar seismic moment M_0 is defined by the equationM_0=\mu AD, where*\mu is the shear modulus of the rocks involved in the earthquake...
s as 5.6 and 7.9. A research paper of V. I. Ulomov cited this earthquake with magnitude Mw 7.1. Its epicenter was somewhere in the Vrancea Mountains
Vrancea Mountains
The Vrancea Mountains are a mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Vrancea County in Romania....
.
The focal mechanism
Focal mechanism
The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the inelastic deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and is also known as a fault-plane solution...
of the earthquake was described as "moderately well controlled" suggesting reverse faulting with some strike-slip motion.
Geography
The epicenter was pinpointed to Vrancea CountyVrancea County
Vrancea is a county in Romania, with its seat at Focşani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in Muntenia.-Demographics:...
, specifically to the Vrancea Mountains
Vrancea Mountains
The Vrancea Mountains are a mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Vrancea County in Romania....
, about 110 miles (177 km) north of Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. In 1977, another strong quake ruptured oil fields in the area.
Damage and casualties
The earthquake was felt in at least eight geographically diverse countries, affecting most of southeast Europe. The worst affected area was in the FocşaniFocsani
Focşani is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the shores the Milcov river, in the historical region of Moldavia. It has a population of 101,854.-Geography:...
–Bârlad
Bârlad
Bârlad is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the Bârlad River, which waters the high plains of eastern Moldavia....
region, where intensity VIII (destructive) damage was recorded, causing a church to collapse. Causing two deaths, the earthquake injured 558 people and fractured at least 55,000 households. Intensity of VII was reported in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
(very strong), and in northern Bulgaria. In addition, intensities of V (rather strong) were recorded in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
(now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, suggesting the earthquake was widespread. This is confirmed by reports of the earthquake as far north as Hungary and east Poland, and as south as Greece and Italy. Lesser intensities of IV (moderate) in Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
and Kiev in the Soviet Union and in Belgrade, Yugloslavia and intensity III (slight) in Moscow and Titograd, Yugoslavia were recorded.