1901 Black Sea earthquake

1901 Black Sea earthquake
1901 Black Sea earthquake is located in Bulgaria
1901 Black Sea earthquake
UTC time1901-03-31 07:12:24
ISC eventn/a
USGS-ANSSn/a
Local dateMarch 31, 1901 (1901-03-31)[1][2]
Local time09:12:24
Magnitude7.2 Mw
Depth14 km (9 mi)
Areas affectedRomania
Bulgaria
Total damage1,200 houses destroyed[3]
Max. intensityMMI X (Extreme)[4]
Tsunami4–5 m
LandslidesYes
Aftershocks5 Mw (at 11:30 local time)
Casualtiesuncertain

The 1901 Black Sea earthquake (also known in Bulgaria as the Balchik earthquake)[5] was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake,[6] the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the Black Sea.[7] The earthquake epicenter was located in the east of Cape Kaliakra, 30 kilometres (19 mi) off northeast coast of Bulgaria.[8] The mainshock occurred at a depth of 15 km (9.3 mi) and generated a 4–5-metre (13–16 ft) high tsunami[9] that devastated the coastal areas of Romania and Bulgaria.[10][11] In Romania, the earthquake was felt not only throughout Northern Dobruja, but also in Oltenia and Muntenia, and even in southern Moldova.

The earthquake was followed by a large number of aftershocks, which continued until 1905; the strongest reached magnitudes of 5.5–6.0 on the Richter scale and were also felt in southern Romania, including Bucharest. After 1905, Pontic seismic activity began to subside, although weak and moderate earthquakes were also reported in subsequent years.

Such events are rare in the Black Sea. In the last 200 years, in the Black Sea region 24 tsunamis occurred, of which two were in the territory of Dobruja. The earliest recorded tsunami in Romania dates from 104, when the city of Callatis, current Mangalia, was badly affected.[12]

  1. ^ Mihaela Dicu (January 21, 2014). "Cutremurele din România (partea I)". Astrele (in Romanian).
  2. ^ "Romania CAR" (PDF). ESnet.
  3. ^ "Marinegeohazard project – Key core elements of the early warning system in the Black Sea" (PDF). University of Mining and Geology "St. Ivan Rilski". 2011.
  4. ^ Karnik, V. (1969). Seismicity of the European Area. Dordrecht: D. Riedel Publishing Co. p. 364.
  5. ^ Matova, Margarita (July 20, 2000). "Recent geological activity along the northeastern Bnlgarian Black Sea coast". Geological Quarterly.
  6. ^ Matova, M. (1999). "Some geoindications of recent geological activity along the northern Bulgarian coast" (PDF). Geoindicators. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016.'
  7. ^ "S-a cutremurat Marea Neagră" Archived May 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Jurnalul.ro, August 5, 2009
  8. ^ Valentin Dimitriu (August 5, 2009). "Cutremure în Marea Neagră: pericol de tsunami?". Ziare.com (in Romanian).
  9. ^ Altinok, Yildiz (1999). Tsunamis along the coasts of the Black Sea (PDF). Istanbul: Second Balkan Geophysical Congress and Exhibition. pp. 46–47.
  10. ^ Darius Martinescu (November 27, 2008). "Tsunami în Marea Neagră". România Liberă (in Romanian).
  11. ^ Ranguelov, B.; Gospodinov, D. (1994). Seismic activity after the earthquake of 31 March, 1901 in the Shabla-Kaliakra zone. Bulgarian Geophysical Journal. pp. 44–49.
  12. ^ Antoaneta Etves (September 8, 2005). "Tsunami de Marea Neagră". 9AM (in Romanian).