M4.4 earthquake 0 km NW of Arcani, Romania

Thursday, February 16, 2023, 01:07:04 UTC · 45.089°N, 23.128°E

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 0 km NW of Arcani, Romania on Thursday, February 16, 2023, 01:07:04 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 168 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe).

Magnitude: 4.4; Light · mb
Depth: 10 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 168; Max intensity VIII
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

60 tons of TNT

That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.

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
Tismana, Gorj, Romania	IV · Light	17	16 km
Băleşti, Gorj, Romania	V · Moderate	12	14 km
Târgu Jiu, Gorj, Romania	VI · Strong	11	15 km
Novaci, Gorj, Romania	III · Weak	8	44 km
Bumbeşti-Jiu, Gorj, Romania	II · Weak	8	25 km
Teleşti, Gorj, Romania	VII · Very strong	3	14 km
Bălăneşti, Gorj, Romania	VI · Strong	3	23 km
Lupeni, Hunedoara, Romania	V · Moderate	3	32 km
Petrila, Hunedoara, Romania	V · Moderate	3	47 km
Padeş, Gorj, Romania	IV · Light	3	25 km
Bengeşti, Gorj, Romania	III · Weak	3	38 km
Drăguţeşti, Gorj, Romania	VIII · Severe	2	18 km

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 50 km

USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 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.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

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:

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 · 289 km away
1,641 deaths$2.0 billion damage
1940M7.3
Romania
10 Nov 1940 · 297 km away · intensity X
1,000 deaths$10 million damage
1838M6.9
Carpathian Fold,Vrancea
23 Jan 1838 · 279 km away · intensity VIII
42 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1990M6.7
Bucharest, Braila, Brasov
30 May 1990 · 288 km away · intensity VI
14 deaths$24 million damage
1893
Nw: Popovic
8 Apr 1893 · 182 km away · intensity X
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1986M5.6
Veliko Turnovo-Turgovishte
7 Dec 1986 · 300 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$5 million damage

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers