September 7, 1970 Earthquake: Knin, Croatia, Balkans NW
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Knin, Croatia, Balkans NW on September 7, 1970 at 20:58 UTC, 5 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 7, 1970
- Time
- 20:58 UTC
- Place
- Knin, Croatia, Balkans NW
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 44.000° N, 16.000° E
- Country
- Croatia
The toll
- Injuries
- 8
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
September 7, 1970, 20:58 UTC, 44 N, 16 E, depth 5 km, magnitude 5.5 mb, 5.5 Ms. Dinaric Alps, focus near Knin; after several shocks felt in August, the strongest earthquakes occurred on 7 September and on 5 October,
when intensity VII was reached at Knin; the shock of 7 September, which was felt as far as Trieste, injured 8 persons and caused appreciable damage. (reference #1039)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 29, 1943, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- October 26, 1969, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- December 23, 1690, Ancona, Italy
- October 27, 1969, Kakasi, Jablan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- December 29, 2020, Petrinja, Croatia, Balkans NW
- January 7, 1962, Croatia, Balkans NW
- January 11, 1962, Croatia, Balkans NW
- May 13, 1984, Dubrovnik, Ljubinje, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- November 25, 1986, Strmica, Knin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- April 7, 1418, Vrana, Croatia, Balkans NW
- November 27, 1990, Titograd, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- January 23, 1496, Croatia, Balkans NW
- June 6, 1280, Croatia, Balkans NW
- November 3, 1280, Croatia, Balkans NW
- September 30, 1300, Croatia, Balkans NW
More
Significant earthquakes of 1970The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1970Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4548.