August 13, 1981 Earthquake: Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 13, 1981 at 02:58:11 UTC, 16 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
- August 13, 1981
- Time
- 02:58:11 UTC
- Place
- Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 16 km (10 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 44.849° N, 17.312° E
- Country
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
The toll
- Injuries
- 44
- Damage
- $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.
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
- October 27, 1969, Kakasi, Jablan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- December 29, 2020, Petrinja, Croatia, Balkans NW
- February 21, 2015, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- January 7, 1962, Croatia, Balkans NW
- April 13, 1964, Croatia, Balkans NW
- March 22, 2020, Zagreb, Croatia, Balkans NW
- January 11, 1962, Croatia, Balkans NW
- 1386, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- July 4, 1757, Croatia, Balkans NW
- November 25, 1986, Strmica, Knin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- November 27, 1990, Titograd, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balkans NW, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- September 7, 1970, Knin, Croatia, Balkans NW
- June 20, 1974, Kozjansko, Slovenia, Balkans NW
More
Significant earthquakes of 1981The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1981Recent 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 4925.