Reviewed by USGSCroatia5y ago
M3.8 earthquake 7 km WNW of Petrinja, Croatia
Sunday, January 10, 2021, 23:28:01 UTC · 45.470°N, 16.211°E
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 7 km WNW of Petrinja, Croatia on Sunday, January 10, 2021, 23:28:01 UTC, at a depth of 9.6 km (shallow). USGS received 7 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light).
- Magnitude
- 3.8
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 7
- Max intensity IV
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
710 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and African plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
10 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrinja, Sisak-Moslavina, Croatia | IV · Light | 1 | 11 km |
| Sisak, Sisak-Moslavina, Croatia | IV · Light | 1 | 15 km |
| Novo Mesto, Jugovžodna Slovenija, Slovenia | III · Weak | 1 | 90 km |
| Moščenica, Sisak-Moslavina, Croatia | III · Weak | 1 | 15 km |
| Lučko, Grad Zagreb, Croatia | II · Weak | 1 | 42 km |
| Starigrad, Zadar, Croatia | II · Weak | 1 | 144 km |
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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on January 15, 2021. 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 119 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.53 km SW of Prato, ItalyMay 6, 1976 · 248 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.42 km WSW of Petrinja, CroatiaDecember 29, 2020 · 6 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ENE of Baška Voda, CroatiaJanuary 11, 1962 · 242 km S of this epicenter
- 6.22 km SE of Grabovci, CroatiaDecember 29, 1942 · 235 km S of this epicenter
- 6.2CroatiaJanuary 7, 1962 · 255 km S of this epicenter
- 6.1Bosnia and HerzegovinaMarch 15, 1923 · 271 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.11 km WNW of Lestans, ItalyJune 17, 1976 · 271 km W of this epicenter
- 6.14 km ENE of Trn, Bosnia and HerzegovinaOctober 27, 1969 · 108 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 54 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,174 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M6.5
Ne, Balkans Nw: Slovenia: Nw
6 May 1976 · 248 km away · intensity X
978 deaths$3.6 billion damage
- 1763M6.2
Gyor; Czechoslovakia: Komarom
28 Jun 1763 · 291 km away · intensity IX
83 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1943
Bosnia-Herzegovina
29 Jan 1943 · 144 km away
19 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1930M6.0
Senigallia
30 Oct 1930 · 278 km away · intensity IX
18 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1969M6.0
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Banja Luka
26 Oct 1969 · 106 km away · intensity VIII
14 deaths$50 million damage
- 1976M6.0
Northeastern
15 Sep 1976 · 251 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.