Reviewed by USGSRomania87y ago
M7.7 earthquake 13 km ESE of Comandău, Romania
Sunday, November 10, 1940, 01:39:11 UTC · 45.720°N, 26.426°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 13 km ESE of Comandău, Romania on Sunday, November 10, 1940, 01:39:11 UTC, at a depth of 150.0 km (intermediate). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 150 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
6.1 megatons of TNT
That is about 408 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12,882 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
549 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
150 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.7RomaniaMarch 29, 1934 · 22 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.75 km NNE of Lyaskovets, BulgariaJune 14, 1913 · 290 km S of this epicenter
- 6.612 km NNW of Gura Teghii, RomaniaOctober 22, 1940 · 15 km S of this epicenter
- 6.611 km E of Ghelinţa, RomaniaOctober 6, 1908 · 24 km N of this epicenter
- 6.41 km SE of Bruiu, RomaniaJanuary 26, 1916 · 134 km W of this epicenter
- 6.03 km WNW of Matca, RomaniaMay 25, 1912 · 84 km E of this epicenter
- 5.810 km WNW of Paltin, RomaniaNovember 1, 1929 · 16 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.53 km WNW of Zâmbreasca, RomaniaMay 27, 1932 · 194 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,042 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1940M7.3
Romania
10 Nov 1940 · 30 km away · intensity X
1,000 deaths$10 million damage
- 1838M6.9
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
23 Jan 1838 · 14 km away · intensity VIII
42 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1829
Bucharest
26 Nov 1829 · 171 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1802M7.4
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
26 Oct 1802 · 14 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1821M6.7
Romania; Moldova
17 Nov 1821 · 14 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M6.8
Tirnovo
14 Jun 1913 · 258 km away · intensity XI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.