1838 Vrancea earthquake

Last updated
1838 Vrancea earthquake
Europe relief laea location map.jpg
Bullseye1.png
Local date11 January 1838 [1]
Local time20:45 (EET)
Duration3–5 minutes
Magnitude7.3 Ms
7.5 Mw
Epicenter 45°43′N26°43′E / 45.717°N 26.717°E / 45.717; 26.717
Areas affected Romania
Max. intensity IX (Destructive)
LandslidesYes
Casualties73 dead, 14 injured

The 1838 Vrancea earthquake struck the western part of Vrancea County on 23 January (O.S. 11 January) [2] with a magnitude of 7.5. The seism caused extensive damage in Moldavia and Wallachia, and killed dozens of people. [3] The earthquake occurred just 36 years after another earthquake of magnitude over 7 on Richter scale devastated the southern part of Wallachia.

Contents

The earthquake occurred at 20:45, being felt strongly in Bucharest and also all over the country up to Lviv, Sevastopol, Constantinople (Istanbul), Odessa, etc. [4] A detailed report on the phenomenon was promptly done by Güstav Schuller, mining geologist in the service of the Duke of Saxony. He said the quake had a foreshock followed by three strong shocks. [5]

During this earthquake, in some areas, especially the epicentral zone, mainly in Vrancea, Buzău, Brăila and Dâmbovița counties appeared large ground cracks and liquefaction phenomena.

Damage

The earthquake was felt on very large areas, affecting inclusive the cities of Transylvania and Banat. Timișoara suffered extensive damage, and the Prejmer fortified church was nearly destroyed. Two motions were felt in Sibiu, on the east–west direction, and several buildings suffered damage. Strong shakings were also felt in Nadăș village. The river ice has been broken. Many people were injured. The earthquake was also felt in Cluj, but it was very weak. [6]

But the greatest damage concentrated in Wallachia, where 217 churches collapsed or were severely damaged, most of them in Râmnicu Vâlcea and Craiova. [7] According to an official report, 36 houses were destroyed in Bucharest, [8] among them the Manuc's Inn and St. Sylvester Church. [9] Likewise, four churches collapsed, and other 50 buildings were badly damaged, including the Princely Palace. România newspaper reported that the seism was preceded by "a hissing and a whizzing so great that froze the hearts of fear". [10] Prince Alexandru II Ghica was surprised by the quake inside a theater, together with much of the nobility. Panic took hold immediately on the audience, which began to trample to exit the theater. [10] Several women fainted, being dragged down by the others to be removed from the building that could collapse. That night, Prince Ghica, with officers and army, visited all parts of Bucharest to see with his eyes the disaster. [10] In Brăila was affected the city hospital, patients being evacuated to another hospital. [11]

The quake was strongly felt in Moldavia, where, among other consequences, there was a massive landslide, that closed Ghilcoș Brook, tributary of the Bicaz River, phenomenon following which would be formed the Red Lake. In the Abeille moldave (Romanian : Аlbina românească), a political and literary gazette led by Gheorghe Asachi, it was reported that a violent earthquake was felt Tuesday, 11 January 1838, at 8:25 p.m., in Iași and lasted 35 seconds. [12] Here, several houses and churches (among them Curelari and St. Spiridon) reported cracks in walls, and the theater was evacuated without any incidents. [12]

Gustav Schüller (Gustave Schueler), Counselor for Mining to the Grand Duke of Saxony, expert instructed by the Ministry for Internal Affairs, reported large cracks in the ground and soil liquefaction "both on Wallachian territory and that of Moldova". [13] The report relates that "in the visited areas all massive buildings, made of stone heavily suffered and many of them, mainly churches, cannot be used". On the contrary, "the peasants' houses, as well as all structures made in timber, have been able to deflect since they were flexible, so they suffered less".

Damage in Wallachia and Moldavia by county

CountyPrincipalityDamage reported [14]
Vâlcea Wallachia39 churches destroyed
Romanați Wallachia53 churches destroyed
Olt Wallachia17 churches destroyed
Mehedinți Wallachia4 churches destroyed
Râmnicu Sărat Wallachia Severe damage, large cracks in the ground
Putna Moldavia Severe damage, large cracks in the ground

Effects outside Romania

The earthquake was felt on a large area, from Russia to Poland and from Albania to Ukraine. [15] In the following table are presented localities and areas mentioned in historical sources, where the mainshock was felt outside the 1838 borders of Romania. [16]

Locality name
(current)		Locality name
(1838)		CountryLat.Lon.I
(MSK)		Damage [17]
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi AkkermanFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 46.1330.305Accompanied by two strokes in underground roar from south to north-west, and lasted two minutes.
Bălți BeltsyFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 47.4527.555Minor cracks in the buildings, doors cracked.
Berdychiv BerdychivFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 49.8928.60FIt was felt.
Budapest Buda, PestFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire 47.1819.00FIt was observed.
Chernivtsi ChernivtsiFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire 48.1825.565.5Windows were broken.
Kiliya KiliyaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 45.4229.285.5Big earthquake; lasted three minutes and a half, causing cracks in some houses.
Chișinău KishinevFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 47.0328.887It was heard a loud bang, followed by an underground hit, then the earth started wobbling, the walls and roofs were vibrating, the doors, windows, and furniture cracked, some things felt.
Yevpatoria EupatoriaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 45.2033.36FFelt.
Istanbul ConstantinopleFlag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire 41.0128.98FTwo shakes were felt severely.
Izmail IzmailFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 45.3528.847It lasted three minutes. In all buildings walls were cracked, ovens and chimneys were more or less damaged, and in some houses the walls completely collapsed. Six people received slight injuries from the collapse of their walls and plaster. The Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection was severely damaged.
Zhytomyr ZhytomyrFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 50.2528.67FFelt.
Kharkiv KharkivFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 50.0036.23FLasted 30 seconds; felt; tree curl.
Kursk KurskFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 51.7236.184Swinging chandeliers and lamps.
Kaluga KalugaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 54.5336.27FLasted 10 seconds.
Eger EgerFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire 47.9020.37FFelt.
Dnipropetrovsk YekaterinoslavFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 48.4635.03FFelt.
Kiev KievFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 50.4530.52FFelt.
Shkodër Shkodra/İşkodraFlag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire 42.0719.53FThe shock was perceptible in the region of Lake Skadar.
Leova LeovaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 46.4828.257Earthquake accompanied by a terrible roar; three more blows shook the house foundation, the stoves and chimneys were wrecked, the windows broken, the doors bounced and the walls were cracked. Church bells beat by itself.
Milan MilanFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire 45.469.19FFelt.
Moscow MoscowFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 55.2737.22FFelt.
Odessa OdessaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 46.4730.73FViolent shocks.
Saint Petersburg Saint PetersburgFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 59.3430.12FFelt.
Soroca SorocaFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 48.1728.305.5Cracks only in some houses, the furniture moved.
Bender BenderFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 46.7729.485.5Felt vibrating the soil, cracks in houses.
Tryavna Tryavna/TrevneFlag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire 42.8725.506Felt.
Vienna ViennaFlag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Austrian Empire 48.1216.22FIt was observed.
Veliko Tarnovo Tarnovo/TırnovaFlag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire 43.0825.666It was severe.
Warsaw WarsawFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire 52.0821.00FFelt.
Vidin VidinFlag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire 44.0923.08FFelt.

Casualties

On 13 January 1838, Manolache Florescu, Bucharest Police Chief, submitted a report, according to that 73 people lost their lives and 14 were injured. Among victims, eight were from Bucharest. But the Consul General of France in Bucharest, Marquis de Châteaugiron, reported over 720 dead and as many wounded. [18] Prof. Dr. Gheorghe Mărmureanu, Director of the National Institute for Earth Physics, stated that in the 1838 earthquake "767 people died". [19] Andreas Ludwig Jeitteles (1799–1878), a Czech physician and writer, quotes in one of his works 12 deaths and 40 wounded in Bucharest. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Vrancea earthquake</span> Romanian earthquake

The 1977 Vrancea earthquake occurred on 4 March 1977, at 21:22 local time, and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.5, making it the second most powerful earthquake recorded in Romania in the 20th century, after the 10 November 1940 seismic event. The hypocenter was situated in the Vrancea Mountains, the most seismically active part of Romania, at a depth of 85.3 km.

Sorina Bucuraș, better known as Sorina-Luminița Plăcintă, is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party and formerly of the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), she was a member of the Romanian Senate for Vrancea County from 2008 to 2012. In the Emil Boc cabinet, she was Minister of Youth and Sport from July to December 2009, and interim Minister-Delegate for Relations with Parliament from October to December 2009.

Striking central Romania on August 30 at 21:28 UTC, the 1986 Vrancea earthquake killed more than 150 people, injured over 500, and damaged over 50,000 homes. The second largest earthquake in the area since the modernization of earthquake monitoring devices, it was felt north to Poland and south to Italy and Greece. The death toll makes it the second deadliest earthquake to occur in 1986 worldwide, after major seism of San Salvador that took the lives of almost 1,500 people.

The 1940 Vrancea earthquake, also known as the 1940 Bucharest earthquake, occurred on Sunday, 10 November 1940, in Romania, at 03:39, when the majority of the population was at home.

The 1802 Vrancea earthquake occurred in the Vrancea Mountains of today's Romania on 26 October [O.S. 14 October] 1802, on St. Paraskeva's Day. With an estimated intensity of 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Romania and one of the strongest in European history. It was felt across an area of more than two million square kilometers in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, from Saint Petersburg to the Aegean Sea.

The Totea gas field is a natural gas field located in Licurici, Gorj County, Romania. It was discovered in 2011 and developed by Petrom. The discovery of this gas deposit was the largest in Romania in the previous 6 years. The gas field began production in 2011 and produces natural gas and condensates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Vrancea earthquakes</span> Romanian powerful earthquake

The 1990 Vrancea earthquakes were three earthquakes on 30 and 31 May 1990 with magnitudes of 7.0 Mw and 6.2 Mw  that struck the Romanian county of Vrancea, on two consecutive days. Severe damage in the Bucharest-Brăila-Brașov area was reported and dozens of casualties in Romania and neighbouring Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highways in Romania</span>

Controlled-access highways in Romania are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds. There are two types of highways, motorways and expressways, with the main difference being that motorways have emergency lanes and slightly wider lanes. The maximum allowed speed limit for motorways is 130 km/h (81 mph), while for expressways the limit is 120 km/h (75 mph). There are no toll roads, but a road vignette is required.

This is a list of 2014 events that occurred in Romania.

The 1738 Vrancea earthquake occurred on 11 June [O.S. 31 May] 1738, during the third rule of Constantin Mavrocordat. The seism aroused great panic and is mentioned in several sources. It occurred in the lower lithospheric block, at a depth of 130 km (81 mi). Its effects were violent on large areas, the hardest hit being Bucharest, where several houses and churches collapsed.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Romania.

Nicolae Ghica-Budești was an influential Romanian architect who helped define the Neo-Romanian style. He studied ancient monuments in Wallachia, writing four volumes documenting the architectural history of the region. The "Muntenia and Oltenia evolution in architecture" was based on his work. His masterpiece is the Museum of the Romanian Peasant which took more than two decades to complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Vrancea earthquake</span> Earthquake in Romania

The 2014 Vrancea earthquake struck Vrancea County on 22 November 2014 at 21:14:17 local time, with a moment magnitude of 5.7. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 39 kilometers and lasted for thirty seconds. On the Mercalli scale the quake registered an intensity of VI (Strong).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emanoil Băleanu</span> Caimacam (Regent of Wallachia)

Emanoil Băleanu, was a Wallachian statesman, soldier and industrialist who served as Caimacam (regent) in October 1858–January 1859. Descending from an old family of boyars, he was one of two sons born to Ban Grigore III Băleanu; the other, Nicolae, was a career bureaucrat, and the State Secretary of Wallachia in 1855–1856. Although prone to displays of Romanian nationalism, the family was prominent under the cosmopolitan Phanariotes, and young Băleanu was educated in Greek. Prince Alexandros Soutzos welcomed him at the court and became his father-in-law. At that stage, Băleanu's participation in the spoils system was signaled by his highly controversial claim to ownership of Târgoviște city, and also by his monopoly on handkerchief manufacture. A slaveowner, he founded the village of Bolintin-Deal, initially populated by his captive Romanies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Small Temple</span> Demolished synagogue in Bucharest, Romania

The Spanish Small Temple also Cahal Cicu synagogue also Templul mic spaniol „Ca’al Cicu”, built in 1846 was located on 37 Banu Maracine Street in Bucharest, Romania.

Events from the year 2021 in Romania.

European Retail Park Brăila is a commercial complex in Romania. It was developed by the Belgian company BelRom with an investment fund of 60 million euros and was inaugurated in May 2008. In September 2009 it was acquired by NEPI Rockcastle through a transaction of 63 million euros. It has a surface of 60,000 square metres and is located in the village of Vărsătura close to the city of Brăila.

References

  1. ↑ Borcea Ștefan (18 March 2014). "Cutremurele de acum 200 de ani, pe limba martorilor evenimentelor. "Pământul pe alocurea s-au despicat și au eșit apă cu miros de iarbă de pușcă și de pucioasă"". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  2. ↑ "Dosare istorice: Cutremurul din 1838" [ permanent dead link ], Optimal Media, March 3, 2012
  3. ↑ Corbu, Adrien C. (1936). Bucureștii vechi, documente iconografice. Bucharest: Cartea românească. p. 18.
  4. ↑ Constantin, A. P.; Pantea, A.; Stoica, R. (25 May 2010). "Vrancea (Romania) subcrustal earthquakes: historical sources and macroseismic intensity assessment" (PDF). Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering.
  5. ↑ "ISTORIE. Care au fost cele mai mari cutremure în România", EVZ.ro, April 18, 2013
  6. ↑ Rogozea, M.; Marmureanu, Gh.; Radulian, M.; Toma, D. (2014). "Reevaluation of the macroseismic effects of the 23 January 1838 Vrancea earthquake" (PDF). Egu General Assembly Conference Abstracts. Romanian Reports in Physics. 66: 520–538. Bibcode:2012EGUGA..14.8015R. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Cutremurul cel Mare" Archived 2014-05-03 at the Wayback Machine , National Geographic România, August 2005
  8. ↑ de Démidoff, M. A. (1841). Bourdin, E. (ed.). Voyage dans la Russie Méridionale et la Crimée par la Hongrie, la Valachie et la Moldavie (in French). Paris.
  9. ↑ "România a fost zguduită de cinci cutremure de peste 7 pe Richter în ultimii 200 de ani" Archived 2013-12-25 at the Wayback Machine , Realitatea.net, March 4, 2008
  10. 1 2 3 Ramona Ursu (4 March 2012). "Blestemele lui Dumnezeu asupra Capitalei: istoria cutremurelor care i-au îngrozit pe bucureșteni. Cum s-a refăcut orașul!". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  11. ↑ "Brăila în perioada 1837–1838". Brăileanism din 1368. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 Mihaela Dicu (21 January 2014). "Cutremurele din România (partea I)". Astrele (in Romanian).
  13. ↑ Victor Cilincă (15 October 2013). "La Izvoarele, dar și la Galați / Cutremurul din 1838 a fost și mai afurisit!". Viața Liberă (in Romanian).
  14. ↑ "Istoria cutremurelor în România". Forpedia (in Romanian). 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Shebalin, N. V.; Karnik, V.; Hadzievski, D. (1974). Catalogue of earthquakes of the Balkan region. Vol. I. Skopje: UNDP-UNESCO Survey of the seismicity of the Balkan region. p. 600.
  16. ↑ Perrey, A. (1846). Mémoire sur les tremblements de terre dans le bassin du Danube (PDF) (in French). Lyon: Annales des sciences Phys. et Natur.
  17. ↑ Réthly, A. (1952). A Kárpátmedencék földrengései (in Hungarian). Budapest. pp. 455–1918.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ↑ "Cutremure devastatoare în București" Archived 2012-11-01 at the Wayback Machine , Ziarul Ring, March 11, 2011
  19. ↑ Larisa and Constantin Iftime (2 June 2009). "Eu nu pot să spun când va fi următorul cutremur, dar pot să spun că nu urmează acum". Ziarul Lumina (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  20. ↑ Georgescu, Emil-Sever (August 2004). "Forensic engineering studies on historical earthquakes in Romania" (PDF). IIT Kanpur.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.