Reviewed by USGSRomania87y ago
M6.6 earthquake 12 km NNW of Gura Teghii, Romania
Tuesday, October 22, 1940, 06:37:01 UTC · 45.590°N, 26.383°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 12 km NNW of Gura Teghii, Romania on Tuesday, October 22, 1940, 06:37:01 UTC, at a depth of 130.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on March 29, 1934.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 130 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
133 kilotons of TNT
That is about 9 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 279 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
535 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Anatolian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
130 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.7 on November 10, 1940. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.7RomaniaMarch 29, 1934 · 35 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.75 km NNE of Lyaskovets, BulgariaJune 14, 1913 · 276 km S of this epicenter
- 6.611 km E of Ghelinţa, RomaniaOctober 6, 1908 · 38 km N of this epicenter
- 6.41 km SE of Bruiu, RomaniaJanuary 26, 1916 · 133 km W of this epicenter
- 6.03 km WNW of Matca, RomaniaMay 25, 1912 · 91 km E of this epicenter
- 5.810 km WNW of Paltin, RomaniaNovember 1, 1929 · 30 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.53 km WNW of Zâmbreasca, RomaniaMay 27, 1932 · 181 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.4RomaniaApril 18, 1919 · 100 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,046 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1940M7.3
Romania
10 Nov 1940 · 40 km away · intensity X
1,000 deaths$10 million damage
- 1838M6.9
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
23 Jan 1838 · 21 km away · intensity VIII
42 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1901M7.2
Balchik
31 Mar 1901 · 296 km away · intensity X
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1829
Bucharest
26 Nov 1829 · 156 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1802M7.4
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
26 Oct 1802 · 21 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1821M6.7
Romania; Moldova
17 Nov 1821 · 21 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.