Reviewed by USGSRomania3y ago
M5.6 earthquake 0 km ESE of Leleşti, Romania
Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 13:16:50 UTC · 45.100°N, 23.201°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 0 km ESE of Leleşti, Romania on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 13:16:50 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1,039 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). The USGS PAGER alert is yellow: some casualties and damage are possible. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on December 27, 2016.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 1,039
- Max intensity VIII
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Yellow
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
567 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Aegean Sea and Eurasian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia, Sofija grad, Bulgaria | III · Weak | 134 | 268 km |
| Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania | III · Weak | 96 | 189 km |
| Belgrade, Central Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 93 | 215 km |
| Timişoara, Timiş, Romania | III · Weak | 64 | 171 km |
| Bucharest, Bukarest, Romania | III · Weak | 25 | 241 km |
| Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania | III · Weak | 24 | 106 km |
| Niš, Central Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro | IV · Light | 22 | 222 km |
| Craiova, Dolj, Romania | IV · Light | 19 | 99 km |
| Târgu Jiu, Gorj, Romania | VII · Very strong | 12 | 12 km |
| Borča, Central Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 11 | 218 km |
| Priština, Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 11 | 317 km |
| Dăneşti, Gorj, Romania | VII · Very strong | 10 | 20 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level yellow: some casualties and damage are possible.
- VIII · Severe shaking
- 2,900 people
- VII · Very strong shaking
- 83,000 people
- VI · Strong shaking
- 35,000 people
- V · Moderate shaking
- 130,000 people
- IV · Light shaking
- 2.7 million people
- III · Weak shaking
- 8.1 million people
- II · Weak shaking
- 171,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- LelestiPopulation 2,000VIII · Severe
- StanestiPopulation 2,600VII · Very strong
- ArcaniPopulation 1,400VII · Very strong
- RuncuPopulation 5,800VII · Very strong
- Targu JiucapitalPopulation 97,000VII · Very strong
- DobritaPopulation 1,300VII · Very strong
- TimisoaracapitalPopulation 315,000IV · Light
- CraiovacapitalPopulation 304,000IV · Light
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on February 17, 2023. 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 72 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.713 km ESE of Comandău, RomaniaNovember 10, 1940 · 261 km E of this epicenter
- 7.52 km N of Spulber, RomaniaMarch 4, 1977 · 288 km E of this epicenter
- 7.27 km NNE of Cașoca, RomaniaAugust 30, 1986 · 249 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0RomaniaMay 30, 1990 · 283 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7RomaniaMarch 29, 1934 · 280 km E of this epicenter
- 6.77 km WNW of Nereju Mic, RomaniaSeptember 7, 1945 · 275 km E of this epicenter
- 6.75 km NNE of Lyaskovets, BulgariaJune 14, 1913 · 298 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.612 km NNW of Gura Teghii, RomaniaOctober 22, 1940 · 255 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 31 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,710 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1977M7.5
Bucharest
4 Mar 1977 · 283 km away
1,641 deaths$2.0 billion damage
- 1940M7.3
Romania
10 Nov 1940 · 291 km away · intensity X
1,000 deaths$10 million damage
- 1838M6.9
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
23 Jan 1838 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
42 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1990M6.7
Bucharest, Braila, Brasov
30 May 1990 · 283 km away · intensity VI
14 deaths$24 million damage
- 1893
Nw: Popovic
8 Apr 1893 · 187 km away · intensity X
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1986M5.6
Veliko Turnovo-Turgovishte
7 Dec 1986 · 297 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$5 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.